The Journey in Fire Emblem Blazing Sword
by kageshoujo
Summary: Witness the adventure of the lords Lyn, Hector, and Eliwood in their adventure against Nergal through the eyes of their tactician. Their rather clumsy, childish, and naive tactician, by the way.
1. The Girl from the Plains

Once, dragons and men coexisted

Once, dragons and men coexisted.

They shared a peace forged in wisdom,

a peace that lasted many generations.

All that was lost when mankind disrupted

this balance in a sudden onslaught.

Man fought dragon in a savage war

that shook the foundations of their world.

This war was called The Scouring.

Defeated and humbled,

dragons vanished from the realm.

In time, man rebuilt and spread his

dominion across the land and

on to the islands beyond.

A millennium has passed

since those dark days ended.

PROLOGUE : A GIRL FROM THE PLAIN

I woke up to a terrible headache and the aroma of fried rice. I blinked my eyes open, and propped myself up from lying down on this mattress… wait! Where am I?

I rubbed my eyes, and I found myself inside… what is this? A house… more like, a tent. There were no walls—every boundary of the place was made with what I judged to be some really heavy cloth pinned to the ground. This wasn't the place of the bandits. It was a little neat to be their tent. Good. That was a good sign. It means the bandits didn't capture me. I looked at myself. Good. I was wearing my clothes. It means the bandits haven't… touched me or anything.

Hmm… this might be a nomad's place…?

I was examining the place without moving from my spot when the headache made itself more unbearable, and the aroma of the fried rice was screaming for attention, too. My stomach grumbled. I let myself fall back into the mattress.

Suddenly I thought that the food's scent was coming closer. And then someone said, "Are you awake? Who are you? Can you remember your name?"

I couldn't answer the woman as she stared with me with her black eyes. She had long dark hair pulled up to a ponytail, and she wore clothes that looked like what a Sacaean traveler would wear. I was busy staring into the wooden bowl of fried rice in her hands.

"Oh!" she noticed where my eyes were fixed at, and she handed me the food, and placed the water right near me. I brought it to my nose to sniff it for poison. The woman giggled.

"I didn't poison it. I found you unconscious on the plains. Who are you, please?" she repeated her earlier question.

After a gulp of water, I answered, "Kumiko. But you can call me Kumi."

"Your name is Kumi?" she sat beside me on the mattress. I nodded. She said, "It is a Sacaean name… I am Lyn. Well, your name may be Sacaean, but I see by your attire that you are a traveler. What brings you to the Sacae Plains? Would you share your story with me?"

…My attire? I took a break from eating to consider my clothes. The green dress was stained dark brown in some parts from mud. My clothes were still a little damp from the… rain. Yes, I remembered rain. My brown-blonde hair was all disheveled. Ugh. I looked ridiculous. I don't look like a young girl, which I am.

(And she definitely got that right. My name was Sacaean. At least to me my name sounded Sacaean, and not Bernese, which I am, by the way. )

I searched around for the chain belt I wore that had my bag attached to it. When I found it on the floor, I sighed a sigh of relief. Good. I haven't been robbed.

When I found the woman's expectant gaze at me, I said, "Uhm… Hi. Last I recall, I was being chased by bandits around the mountains… and I just ended up here. I'm from Bern."

"Oh…" she said, and she was about to speak but a noise from outside stopped her. I too, dropped the food bowl to my lap, since I was startled. There were… some sort of ruffled noises. Metals clanging, and men chatting around in loud, thunderous voices. What could it be…? I hope they aren't bandits! I've had enough of bandits for now!

Lyn was puzzled as well. "I'll go see what's happening. Kumi, wait here for me."

She got up and left and I took a mouthful of the food and gulped down the water, and left them. My sense of duty as a tactician (or a supposedly one) getting to me, I followed Lyn.

"Bandits!" I caught her shrieking to herself as she held open a flap in the tent to see what was going on outside. I peeked at the window of sort and saw about three axemen coming down from the Bern mountains… ugh! They look familiar! They might be the ones that chased me and Mark! I knew they were still around…

"I thought so." I said, as I stood beside… yes, Lyn… and stared at the view of those three men lugging their axes... "They must be planning on raiding the local villages."

"I... I have to stop them!" Lyn turned to me with an inexplicable determination in her face. "If that's all of them, I think I can handle them on my own. You'll be safe in here, Kumi!"

"Wait!" I screamed before she could exit the tent. "Can I… uhm… come with you?"

Lyn's first question was, "Well, can you use a weapon?"

...I was disappointed. I _can_ help _without _using a weapon. And I didn't know anything about weapons. You can hand me a sword and I wouldn't know the difference between the sharp and blunt edge.

"You see... I am a traveling tactician... or supposedly one. I'm still a student… but… well… I can at least tell you to watch out or something."

"Oh-kay..." She looked as if she was a little enlightened of my chosen career… and confused of all the words I said. She shrugged. "So you're a strategist by trade? An odd profession, but... very well. We'll go together!"

Okay, so I kind of lied to Lyn when I said I was a tactician. I mean, I _am_ a tactician, but I'm a _novice_ tactician. Oh, wait, I told her that. I'm just fresh from the academy in Bern. Though, you probably don't know there's a tactician school in Bern... It's not really a school, just a guild were this awesome tactician tutors us and--

"Over here!" Lyn called on my attention. "If you want to come with me, Kumi, I could use your advice. I'll protect you, so stay close to me."

I looked around the area, holding onto Lyn's arm as she led me outside. Hmm… There seem to be three axe-wielding bandits here...

"Now, we need to get closer to the enemy..." she whispered to me.

"Yes. Try not to get noticed..."

I didn't realize at that moment how stupid what I said was. To "try not to get noticed" in the open plains is impossible. Ugh. I hate myself. This must be because of the stupid effects of lack of food. All I could think of is the fried rice I left in Lyn's tent. As I took off from her tent, I also sighted some mangoes… oooh… mangoes… No… Must. Be. Alert!!

"Who's there?!" As I said, it was impossible to go unnoticed.

Lyn grabbed a hold of her sword to prepare for a fight. "Kumi! Go somewhere safe!"

I backed away but froze when I saw the axe glimmer in the sunlight from afar. I developed quite a phobia for bandits. I screamed, and the axe-wielding bandit charged at us with his Iron Axe. I thought that day was my doom, but Lyn lunged at the opponent and stabbed him. The enemy dropped to the ground… probably dead. Or if not dead, almost dead. Near dead. Just… dead.

I wrinkled my face in disgust and backed away from the fallen man. I hated seeing people die, seeing blood, and seeing all the violence. I have been told (more like screamed at) to get used to the mechanics of life and death. I was a tactician, after all. Or at least I was going to be one. I can always change my career, but… I wanted to be a tactician. I just didn't like seeing the killing up-close. Eeek.

I pushed the thoughts out of my head and looked up to Lyn. "Uhm... thank you for protecting me..."

Lyn just looked over at me and smiled, "You should learn how to use a sword."

Before I could think of an appropriate reply, I saw the remaining two bandits rush toward us yet again. "Lyn! Look in front of you!"

But my scream was too late. She turned around to see the bandits attacking her, and there was inadequate time to dodge. And…

I froze and shut my eyes close.

I reluctantly opened my eyes to a soft poke at the side. I thought it might be the bandits poking at me, but I was relieved to find Lyn there, and the bandits felled. I let go of the breath I was holding for I don't know how long now.

Lyn looked at me with a mock smile. "…Are you really a strategist by trade?"

"_Novice_ strategist by trade!" I corrected her. "_Apprentice, student, newbie_…"

"Oh," was all she said, and then she turned to look at the felled bandits. Or one of them in particular. And then I just noticed Lyn clutching her arm… it was bleeding. There was a slice there. "That was close. I sorely underestimated him." She then slid her sword back to its scabbard and turned to me. "Sorry if I worried you. I'll need to be stronger if I'm going to survive... Strong enough that no one can defeat me."

She looked deep in serious thoughts when she said that, and I could just raise an eyebrow in question. She just shook her head as if to say it's nothing.

I then remembered her cut, and remembered the things in my bag. "Oh, wait, I have a _vulnerary_ here..."

I dug into my belt bag...wait! Where is my bag? Ugh. I just remembered that I didn't pick it up from the tent… stupid, stupid me!

"Oh... I took it off you." Lyn gave me a smile as she scratched her head. "Sorry. But don't worry, I have some in my satchel here." She dug her hands into her satchel, and fished out a gold-colored bottle. I took it from her, and we sat down on the grass, and I applied some of the balm on her wound. "After this, we can go back to my ger."

"What's a ... ger?" I curiously asked as I applied the ointment on her wound.

"You don't know what a ger is? It's a type of round hut." Lyn knowingly answered me. "Many nomads live in huts like these. We build it by using some wood and dried leaves and grass for the framework, and draping heavy cloths over it, and pinning these cloths to the ground."

"Ah, suited for living in the tropic heat of the plains," I remarked. "I think I've read about them, but I didn't know that Sacaeans call them… gers."

When the bleeding of Lyn's wound stopped thanks to the vulnerary, we headed back to the tent… But, in a sense, I never made it. The moment I stood up from my position on the grass, and I took my first step, I felt incredibly dizzy. And then everything went black…

...Ugh... where am I? Was it all... just a dream?

"Good morning, Kumi! Are you awake yet?" I saw that black-haired Sacaean lady before me again—Lyn. I wasn't dreaming. The environments were that of her house, and something in the air smelled fragrant... Mmm... food... FOOD!

"...Lyn? Is that really you?" I wanted to make sure I wasn't only seeing things because of passing out too much.

"Yes." She nodded, and then she handed me a plate of fried rice mixed in with onions, garlics, potatoes, and scrapped meat. The dish also included a ripe mango. I cheerfully took it into my hands, and began eating in front of Lyn. "That fight yesterday must have taken a lot out of you. Or maybe the heat did… or maybe because you haven't eaten a thing yet."

"I haven't eaten anything... in days..." I said in between stuffing my mouth with the fried rice. I didn't have eating utensils, and I didn't want them at the moment. I ate with my hands. When you're really hungry, your mind forgets how to use a fork and spoon, so they're not necessary.

She just stared at me, and I can tell she looked… amused. She asked, (and her tone sounded like she was talking to a 6-year-old) "Tell me, Kumi… How did you end up here in Sacae?"

I paused eating to answer her. "You see, I'm supposed to put all I've learned from my mentor to use. So my friend and I—my friend's also training to be a tactician—decided to travel together. But then horrible bandits chased us around the mountain borders of Bern and Sacae! Oh, Mark went to distract them from me, so we parted ways… and it was raining then, and it was getting dark… so I just ran and ran and I remembered slipping… I think I fell off a cliff. And next I remember, I'm here…"

"That does sound horrible!" Lyn gasped, and I nodded. I… I wonder where Mark is… I now know that I'm safe, and I wonder about him… Mark couldn't even hold a sword efficiently to save his life! Well, at least he knows how to hold a sword compared to me, but… he's not a warrior. He's a tactician. What if those bandits found him and… ooh, please… I hope that didn't happen. I hope Mark's safe.

I suddenly lost my appetite that moment. Mark took care of me like an older brother. I can't just continue searching for a way to practice tactics when I know he could be in danger…

"Are you going to look for him?"

I was snapped from my thoughts when I heard Lyn ask me that. Look for Mark…?

I nodded. "I'll look for him by continuing to travel. Maybe I'll see him along the way, or find some clue of how he is…"

I resumed eating, now calmer than before. I started peeling open the ripe mango. When I feel a little blue, I want sweets. I hope this mango is sweet…

She silently watched me for a few seconds, and then suddenly went, "Say, Kumi... I want to talk to you about something. You may be a little young, and you may be a little… scattered… but you have some experience in the ways of war, I can see. Would you... allow me to travel with you?"

I was surprised to the degree that I stopped eating and the half-open mango almost slipped from my hand. "Lyn! I just said that I was a novice tactician! Sure, I know almost everything my books say about wars and battles and how it should be directed, but I haven't even led a group! Not once!"

"That's why I'm coming with you!" She told me. "If we travel, you can improve your skill and maybe find a group to lead, and maybe find your friend, while I can improve my swordsmanship!"

"Why are you so hell-bent on improving your swordsmanship?"

A cross expression slowly traversed through Lyn's features. Oh, no. I must've asked a question I shouldn't have.

"My mother and my father," she narrated, "died six months ago. My people--the Lorca--they don't... I'm the last of my tribe. Bandits attacked, and... They killed so many people. The tribe was scattered. My father was our chieftain, and I wanted to protect our people. I am so young, and my people are old-fashioned. They wouldn't follow a woman. No one would follow me."

Before I realized it, drops of tears came streaming from Lyn's black eyes. Oh, no. I did ask the wrong question. I put off my food for the moment, and got up beside Lyn and tried to comfort her. "Lyn..."

She fought back tears as she wiped them off with her hands. "I'm sorry. I've been alone for so long... No. No more. I will shed no more tears. Thank you. I'm better now."

I continued to pat her on the back, to make the tears go all away and abandon Lyn's face.

"Kumi, I want—I must become stronger, so that I may avenge my father's death! Yesterday's battle taught me something. I won't become stronger by sitting here alone. Kumi, tell that you'll let me travel with you!"

I sighed. I'm just an apprentice tactician... I barely have money left in my purse... yet, I feel like I have to let her come with me, because like me, she is alone, too...

"Well, a companion probably won't hurt in my journey." I cheerfully told the lady and I shared with her my smile. "If you really insist, you can come with me. I'll help you improve your swordwork and in the long run avenge your parents, while I look for a job and find Mark. Okay?"

"You will? That's wonderful! Thank you! Oh, thank you!" Lyn got up, and held me in her embrace. "We'll be better off working together, I know it. You'll be my master strategist, and I'll be your peerless warrior! We can do it! Right?"

"Yep!"

**End of Chapter.**

**Author's Note:**

Zee new improved Prologue! I hope it's better than the old one, and improved. I took liberties and changed some stuff (not exactly following the script and all), but I think it was done for the better.

I changed it for a few reasons: One, to have a more appealing beginning chapter. Two, Kumiko's personality grew to be more developed ever since chapter 7… I wrote this with no idea of Kumi's personality at all, but as I wrote and wrote, her personality was formed only around chapter 7… so the chapters earlier than that has nothing much of her personality… (blink, blink). O.O So now that I know who Kumi is, I'm trying to redo the earlier chapters.

Reviews, please. xD


	2. Footsteps of Fate

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER ONE : FOOTSTEPS OF FATE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The apprentice tactician Kumi and the young swordfighter Lyn. A strange pair on an even stranger journey. To prepare for the long road ahead, they go to Bulgar, the commercial center of Sacae. Unbeknownst to Lyn, she will discover something that will alter her life forever._

"This is Bulgar, the biggest city in all of Sacae. We should purchase supplies for our journey." Lyn introduced me to the Sacaean city bustling with people. Most of them were dressed like Lyn—they had these triangular tribal patterns on their clothes…

"Let's see..." I pondered over my handy strategist's notebook. It's a special logbook of some sort that _all_ strategists need. Well, there's a guy I know that doesn't use the book, but it's because he's stupid. Ah, forget about that. "We've need of vulneraries, food rations, an extra sword..."

I was about to gaze around and look for the item shop, when a surprising voice screamed from behind us. "Oh, my heart! What a dazzling vision of loveliness!"

"Hm?" Lyn and I both turned around.

There was this brown-haired man with green armor, pulling his horse behind him. He also had this green bandana or headband or something. I could see a lance strapped to his horse... Aha... it's quite obvious he's a knight---a cavalier.

"Wait, O beauteous ones!" He ran to me and Lyn with a weird expression on his face. "Would you not favor me with your names? Or better yet, your company?"

Eeeeekkkk. I hid behind Lyn.

"Where are you from, sir knight, that you speak so freely to a stranger?" Lyn questioned this insane knight.

"Ha! I thought you'd never ask! I am from Lycia. I hail from the Caelin canton, home to men of passion of fire!" He introduced himself with a proud air about him.

Lyn turned to me and said, "Shouldn't that be "home to callow oafs with loose tongues"?" I nodded.

"Ooooh... You're even lovely when you're cruel." He continued to marvel at the beauty of Lyn. Well, Lyn is quite the beauty...

Yet she just pulled me by the arm and started to walk away. "Let's go, Kumi. I've nothing more to say."

"Wait! Please...!" That 'insane knight' desperately tried to follow us. He's... girl-crazy.

Then I heard the sound made by the steps of a horse. Oh, great. Another cavalier? "Sain! Hold your tongue!"

Ah, so his name is Sain. Then he must really be called "The In-sain knight".

Lyn and I examined the cavalier that had just arrived as he got off his horse. He had red-hued hair, a fair complexion, and a somewhat formal face. Hmm... he seems normal, unlike that in-sain one.

"Ah, Kent! My boon companion! Why so severe an expression?" Lyn and I watched as Sain greeted his friend, who according to him is named Kent.

"If your manner were more serious, I wouldn't have to be so severe! We still have a mission to complete, Sain!" Kent tried to insert some sanity into that Sain. I guess I was right. He's a formal kind of knight.

"I know that!" Sain tried to reason out. "But how could I remain silent in the presence of such beauty? It would have been discourteous!"

"What do you know of courtesy!?" Kent exclaimed, he scolded that Sain.

Lyn couldn't afford to watch some more of this nonsense. She finally said, "Excuse me! You're blocking the road. If you would be so kind as to move your horses..."

Kent then turned to us, and pulled his horse away to open a path. "Of course. My apologies..."

"Thank you." Lyn shared a smile with that Kent-guy "You, at least, seem honorable enough."

"Hm?" This Kent suddenly blocked the road and examined Lyn's face. "Pardon me, but... I feel we've met before."

What?! He's... he's... he's also insane! Are all cavaliers like that?! Eeeekk!

"I beg your pardon?" Lyn was surprised to be harassed by two knights in one day.

"Hey! No fair, Kent! I saw her first!" Sain shook his companion violently.

Lyn groaned about this crazy happening. "It seems there are no decent men among Lycia's knights! Let's go, Kumi! I've run out of patience!"

And Lyn pulled me away, into the road past Bulgar. She forgot our need to buy items.

"Wait, please! It's not like that. Sain, you lout!"

"Huh? Not like that? I thought you were..."

"I am NOT you!!! Come, we must follow her. I suspect she might be--

"Be what? She's our mission? You're joking! Wait!"

"I can't stand it!" Lyn madly kicked on the rocks as we walked in the Sacaean plains some more. "Those knights were so rude! Right, Kumi?"

"Lyn... I have a bad feeling... about this." I honestly told her. Since we walked in these plains, I felt some sort of trepidation run down my spine...

"Are you hungry again?" She tried to find out what was wrong with me. "Here, I still have some mangoes..."

Lyn reached into her bag for some food while I, however, was recalling lessons from tactician school. I held my strategist's logbook close to me, and looked around at the surroundings. Trees here and there... small forests... a river in the distance... bridges...

It took me a while to notice it. We were being followed.

"Here's a mango." Lyn got out a ripe mango and handed it to me. But I ignored that, and I just held her hand and pulled her to run.

"Kumi?! What's gotten into you?!" She asked me while I pulled on her. She was still holding to mango in her hand.

"We're being pursued!" I told her. I felt there were numbers of them that Lyn couldn't handle alone, so... we have to run!

"Could it be those knights from town?" Lyn asked me.

"No... It's not them. These men are out for blood! Aahh!"

I shrieked, because I saw a huge man in front of us, and an axe swung towards us. Lyn pulled me down to the ground just in time to dodge the attack. The mango she was holding wasn't so lucky. It got sliced in half, right above our heads. What a good waste of fruit!

"Heh heh hehhh... Aren't you the pretty one!" This bandit let out a sinister laugh, and stared lecherously at Lyn and me. I was hiding behind Lyn, nervously clinging to her arms. The man's eyes focused on Lyn. "Your name is Lyndis, is it not?"

"What did you call me?" Lyn looked as if she were surprised. Is Lyn's real name Lyndis, like my real name is Kumiko? "Who are you?" She questioned this bad man.

"Such a waste. An absolute waste." It seems as if he didn't hear Lyn's question. "The things I'll do for gold. Ah, well. Time to die, darlin'! C'mon out, boys!"

The instance he said that, more men came out from their hiding places, lugging their axes behind them. Great... I knew they were hiding all over the place and watching us... They walked towards us with menacing grins, as the man who I supposed was their leader backed away.

"There's... five of them." I did a count, trying to make myself useful. I am a tactician, after all.

"Oh, no!" Lyn groaned. "There are more than I can handle... But I'll not give up!"

"Hey! There she is!" a familiar voice called out behind us. Lyn and I both turned around to see those two knights from the city... riding on their horses to meet us.

"Whew... Finally caught up..." Both of them stopped, and Sain tried to catch his breath. Then, with all the knightly prowess he had, he pointed to the men attacking us and said, "Hold! You people there! What is your business? Such numbers against girls? Cowards, every one of you!"

"You!" Lyn was surprised to see these knights come to our aid. "You're from—"

"We can discuss that later." Kent cut Lyn's words. "It appears these ruffians mean to do you harm. If it's a fight they want, let them look to me! Stand back! I'll take care of this!" He announced, and his horse went forward to meet those men.

Yet Lyn's pride wouldn't allow her to be helped by these rude knights. "No! This is my fight! Stay out of my way!"

"Well, I can't just stand here and do nothing..." Sain glanced at me and Lyn. "Two beauteous ladies, attacked by these crazy men... It would be a shame if I let that happen..."

"I have a solution." Kent mentioned something, and he pointed towards me. "You there, command us. I see you are a tactician by the book you are holding. I am Kent, a knight of Lycia. My companion is Sain. We will follow your orders in this battle. Is this acceptable, milady?" he asked Lyn.

Lyn thought for about five seconds, and then she nodded. "Yes, it is. Kumi and I will lead! Let's go!"

"You! You are called Kumi, my lady?" Sain went beside me as I was pondering over strategies. "I want to impress my beauteous one! Let me attack first!"

I sighed. "Fine! If you insist!" I pointed to an enemy in two 'o clock direction. "Attack that one!"

At my command, Sain rode forward that enemy, and grabbed his lance and... wait a minute! He's using a lance against an axe-wielding enemy?! What an idiot!

He thrust his lance towards the enemy, while his horse was riding fast. And as expected, his attack missed the enemy by one inch.

"Whoa! I missed!?" Sain pulled his horse to a halt, and wondered why he missed. Stupid!

"Sain! Why aren't you using your sword?" Kent shouted at him, scolding him like he was his son.

"Weapons possess a unique hierarchy..." I recited what I had memorized in the past in tactician school. "Swords best axes. Axes best lances. Lances best swords. This is called the weapon triangle... A lance is easy to evade and causes less damage to an axe wielder, because a lance's slim and lengthy figure makes it much more difficult to aim with! And because a lance is so thin, it's easily dodged by meeting the tip with the blade of the axe, you idiot!" I sermon. I was losing my cool.

"The lance is more heroic!" Sain took time to defend himself in the middle of the battlefield. "A knight should look heroic, don't you think?"

"You're hopeless. If you don't take fighting more seriously, you're going to find yourself on the end of a blade!" Kent was also losing his cool like I was.

"Truth be told, I...forgot to buy a sword." Sain gave us a sheepish grin as he scratched his head.

"Forgot? Or were you simply too busy dallying with the ladies?" I heard Lyn beside me whisper.

"Don't be so mad! I'll be fine with a lance. I'm that good!" That useless fool bragged.

"I'd prefer to rely on your skill, not your empty bragging! Here!" Kent took an extra sword from his horse's straps, and threw it towards Sain. "Take my spare blade and use it to attack next time!"

Sain caught the sword in his hands. "Are you sure? My thanks, Kent!"

"You're almost more trouble than you're worth. Almost." I heard Kent mutter. Then he turned to me and said, "Kumi! Allow me to make up for my companion's blunder. I am at your command!"

"Okay! Attack and use a sword, Kent!"

Kent rode forward to meet with that man, and as his horse rode past him, he slashed him with his sword across his chest. The man fell to the ground. That's one down.

"Lyn, let's go towards that man, and attack." I pointed to another enemy, ten 'o clock direction.

"Sure! Just stay behind me, Kumi!"

Lyn ran towards the men, and she was met with a swing of the axe. She jumped backwards to evade the attack. Lyn then slashed the man to the right, and then crouched down to stab the man's legs. Two down.

"That's good, Lyn!" A clapped my hands a little. I admired Lyn—I have never been able to fight a battle. I was taught to supervise battles, not fight in them.

"Kumi! Give me another chance!" Sain bellowed from his spot. "I failed you once before, but give me another chance... I'll not fail you again!"

"Fine, attack whoever enemy you want!" I wasn't even looking at Sain. I was wiping the blood off my red cloak, and...

"Axe-wielding foes should be met with swords! I'll remember that!" Sain shouted, and I just finished taking off the lint from my clothes. "H-Hey!!"

I turned around to look at the commotion Sain was up to again. Lyn beside me did, too.

Oh, god! His sword got stuck in a tree bark! He attacked some guy by the woods!

"Hey!" Sain tried in vain to pull his sword off from the tree bark.

"He is such an idiot..." Lyn muttered.

But I noticed something else. That man was going to attack Sain. "Sain, watch out!"

At the exact second the axe was about to hit Sain, he managed to pull the sword away from the sword-eating-tree. However, the enemy hit him across his armor, and Sain fell from his horse, the impact making him fly off quite a distance.

"Sain! Are you all right?" The three of us ran to Sain, who was dumbfounded on the grass.

"Yes. Yes, I am. I was able to dodge in time. I can't believe that tree ate my sword stroke so easily. This is no jest."

"Look closely." I figured this was another chance to demonstrate the little things I learned in tactician school. "The enemy is hidden in the woods. The branches, the trees, the crowded space, makes it difficult to attack, don't they?"

"You're right. I was so focused on attacking... I didn't see."

Kent proceeded onto another sermon. "Your lack of attention may someday cost you your life!"

"Fine! I understand already! Let it go, Kent!" Sain scowled back at his companion.

"If you truly understand, then act like it!"

Kent then readied his sword, and looked ready to redeem Lycia's honor in no time. Sain nastily whispered to me, "Kent worries too much. He's going to grow old before his time."

I was about to tell him that he on the other hand was very immature and will NEVER grow up, but Kent interrupted. "I'm ready for battle. Command me as you will!", he said. He really was going to redeem the honor of Lycia's knights.

"Alright! Kent, attack that same enemy at the forest! And be careful about the woods!"

With that, he rode off towards the woods in the distance. Sain's horse came running back to us, and Sain got back on it in no time. With Kent attacking that enemy, I can already say it's three down.

"It seems like a wise decision to leave that bandit to the knight." Lyn told me. "For my part, if I'm going to take care of the other foe, I'll need to close the distance between us. The knight said that the woods are advantageous, right? In that case..." Lyn looked for nearby trees and small woods. I pointed to her a small-woods that was conveniently situated near the enemy. "That looks good. Let's move there, Kumi!"

When we arrived there, the enemy had spotted us. He was, of course, an axe-wielder like most bandits. He greeted us with a slash of his axe, as if the axe was going to slice us in half.

"Kumi! Dodge!"

Lyn pushed me to the right, and we both dodged the attack. The bandit, however, hit the tree directly behind where me and Lyn were position. His axe got stuck in the tree. Yes! And then Lyn dealt the finishing blow, by attacking the man at his back. That's four down!

"Wait, beautiful ladies! I must protect you!" There's no one else who could be saying that but Sain.

"There's no need for that anymore." I indirectly told him that Lyn just finished the enemy.

"You... Your name is Sain, right?" Lyn suddenly questioned this insane knight.

"Yes!" Sain seemed happy that Lyn finally took some interest in him. "Sain, the gallant man of Caelin. That's me!"

"If you insist... Why have you not healed yourself?" Lyn asked.

I just then realized the blood oozing out from a wound on Sain's arm. He must have had it from his encounter a while back. His face was full of scratches, too, from falling off his horse.

"Huh? Hey! I've been injured?" Sain acted like he was never hurt at all. "What a cad I am! To wrinkle that perfect brow of yours with worry for me..."

Lyn and I probably had a reaction to that. He is SUCH a womanizer. "Uh... I was thinking of giving you a vulnerary, but... It looks like you're fine. So, never you mind." Lyn told him.

"No, wait! I'll take it! Please! I'll take it!!" Sain jumped off his horse and clung to me and Lyn. "I can't keep such a generous offer waiting! The healing power of love awaits with yon angel! Kumi! Make her give it to me!"

He is VERY weird. But I figured a man like him who is somehow injured in the head needs all the medicine he can get. "Uh, it's no harm if you give it to him, Lyn."

Lyn reluctantly gave up the vulnerary to Sain. Sain took it, excited, as if he were just given a million pieces of gold. He immediately opened the medicine and applied it to himself. "Ah, much better! Thanks, Kumi! And you have my gratitude as well, my angel!"

Lyn and I just exchanged weird glances.

"Ah, you're all here." Kent arrived, not even a single scratch on his entirety. "How many enemies are there remaining?"

"There seems to be only the leader left." I informed them. "I think he is past the eastern bridge."

"Very well, we ride towards the bridge!"

And we did. I was riding on behind Kent on his horse, and Lyn was with Sain. The reason Lyn went with this arrangement is because she didn't want me to die in case Sain did something stupid.

"We have to attack!" I told Kent. He didn't answer, but I felt the horse go faster when I said that. It was so fast that I almost fell off if I hadn't held onto Kent's waist. I closed my eyes. I only opened them when I heard the clashing of metal against each other. Kent has attacked the enemy with his sword, and this sword was blocked by an axe.

"Sain! Now!"

From behind the enemy, Sain appeared, his steed riding swiftly towards the enemy. Lyn behind him was not at all scared like I was. She must be used to riding horses. Sain was going to attack the man with his sword. But the leader of the evil guys temporarily ignored me and Kent. He turned towards Sain and blocked his attack with his axe.

"It's not over yet!" I saw Lyn jump into the air, off Sain's horse, holding her sword. She gave the man the final attack. Yes! We won! I could hear the victory theme yet again in the background.

"Blast... There was only... supposed to be a lone... girl.." the man managed to say before he fainted.

"That's the last of them! Fantastic work, Kumi!" Lyn praised me, but there really was nothing noteworthy of praise. "And now for those knights of Lycia..." Lyn turned to the two men, Sain and Kent. "You were going to share your story with me?"

"Yes. We have ventured from Caelin, in Lycia, in search of someone." Kent seriously told Lyn. I listened from the background, while I was making notes in my strategist's logbook. I have to record the course of battle, our advantages, our disadvantages, the tactics used, and our allies...

"Lycia... That is the country beyond the mountains in the southwest, isn't it?" Lyn asked for and assurance about where Lycia lies.

_I had a battle today with some bandits..._ I wrote in the journal part of my logbook. _I was with Lyn, and these two knights came to help us. They were Sain and Kent, our allies._

"Correct. We've come as messengers to the lady Madelyn, who eloped with a nomad some 19 years ago." Kent answered Lyn's question, and further elaborated on their quest.

"Madelyn?"

_We had the advantage of cavaliers in this battle. We also had me, a tactician who would help the course of battle flow much more smoothly. The enemies were all axe-wielders, an advantage because Lyn, Sain, and Kent all wield a sword..._

"Our lord the marquis of Caelin's only daughter. He was heartbroken his own daughter would abandon him so. Eventually, the marquis simply declared that he had no daughter." Kent continued, yet I wasn't paying much attention anymore.

_A serious disadvantage is that one of the knights we were with, Sain, seems to have misplaced his sanity somewhere. He kept on doing stupid things..._

"And then this year, we received a letter from Lady Madelyn." Sain was the one explaining the situation now. "It said that she, her husband, and their daughter were living happily on the Sacae plains. The marquis was ecstatic to learn he had a granddaughter of 18 years. I remember the smile on his face when he announced that he'd suddenly become a grandfather. The granddaughter's name is Lyndis. This was also the name of the marquis's wife, who passed away at an early age."

"Lyndis?"

_Nevertheless, with teamwork, we were able to defeated those fiends._

"That she should bear this name thawed the marquis's heart. Now, his only wish is to meet his daughter's family at least once. This is why we're here." A miracle, Sain was actually serious while he was discussing this. "We didn't know that Lady Madelyn died a few days after sending her letter... We only learned this shortly after we arrived here in Bulgar. But we also learned all was not lost. Her daughter yet lives. We heard that she was living alone on the plains."

"I... I knew it immediately. You are the lady Lyndis." Kent suddenly said. I have been listening a little, so I actually know what's going on. I closed my logbook, and tried to listen intently.

"Why would you think that..." Lyn backed away from the knights, surprised.

"Your resemblance to your departed mother is remarkable." Kent reasoned.

Kent must have hit a mark somewhere. I could clearly see it in Lyn's face. "What? Did you know my mother?"

"I'm sorry to say I never met her directly, but I saw her portraits in Castle Caelin." Kent answered.

"To the rest of my tribe, I was always Lyn." The Sacaean girl began . "But when I was with my parents... When it was just the three of us, I was Lyndis. It's all so strange. I was all alone in the world, and now I have a grandfather. Lyndis... I never thought I would hear that name again."

Wow... this is becoming something else. Do these knights mean to say that Lyn... is the granddaughter of Marquis Caelin? That she is actually some sort of princess, this Sacaean girl?

"Wait. That bandit! He called me Lyndis, too!" She remembered, and I remembered that, too!

"What? How could he have—"

"He was a henchman of Lord Lundgren, wasn't he?" Sain gave a fair assumption.

"Lundgren? Who's that?"

"He's the marquis's younger brother." I joined in on the conversation. As a tactician, it's required of me to have ample knowledge on the feudal lords and monarchs. "Everyone assumed the lady Madelyn was gone forever. This made Lord Lundgren heir to the marquis's title."

"To be blunt, milady. Your existence is an obstacle to your granduncle's ambitions." Sain added. He has a point there...

"That's—But I have no interest in inheriting any title!" Lyn protested.

"Unfortunately, your granduncle is not the sort of man to believe that. I believe the attempts on your life will persist." Sain was starting to talk serious---unbelievable.

"What should I do?" Lyn asked the all-important question.

"Accompany us to Caelin." Kent suggested. "Continuing on this way is dangerous."

"I feel I have little choice. I will go with you." Lyn was forced to say that. It was the only choice left, after all.

"Kumi... I'm sorry." Lyn gloomily appeared before me as the knights were preparing for departure. The night was also starting to roll in, and so was the cold air. "This changes everything. What will you do, Kumi?"

I unintentionally yawned right in front of Lyn. Well, it was starting to get cold, and... we need a good night's rest already... "Lyn... I've got no other place left to go." I told her. "I'm a traveling tactician. I go wherever I feel like going. If you want me to go with you, I'll go. If you want me to look for a job somewhere else, then tell me. It's your decision."

"You... want me to decide?" Lyn seemed to be surprised. "Of course, your companionship would do much to ease my journey, but... It's going to be so dangerous."

"As a tactician, I have to get used to danger." I cheerfully told her. "What's more, you told me I was going to be your tactician and you'll be my warrior. So there's not reason for me not to go! How can I not want to go with you, Lady Lyndis of Caelin?"

"Thank you! Let me ask once again for your friendship and your aid."

----

A/N: Chapter 1: Footsteps of Fate, finished! YaY! Review at your leisure. I really need the inspiration to continue on, you know... ah, forget I said that. I hope I did the scenes well. xD


	3. Sword of Spirits

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TWO : SWORD OF SPIRITS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_A small altar lies on the outskirts of Bulgar. This ancient temple, sacred to the people of Sacae, has long been know for its powerful bond to the world of spirits. Before starting their journey, our travelers come here to pray for their well-being. At this altar, Lyn's hand is directed to a grand inheritance._

"It's hot..." I groaned as I rode on Sain's horse, and I was right behind him. We were experiencing a scorching weather in Sacae plains. I was on the verge of fainting.

"Kumi, hold a moment, and allow me a short detour." Lyn was reminded of a detour in the midst of this heat. She was riding behind Kent, who was examining a map of the area. "There is a sacred sword enshrined in an altar east of here. The people of Sacae go there to pray for safety at the onset of a long journey."

"Oh! How quaint!" Sain cheerfully commented.

"The teachings of Elimine have the most followers in Elibe. It is nice to see that, here at least, the ancient customs are still observed." Kent folded close the map, and we rode forward to the temple we saw before us, after I gave the okay sign.

"_Old man! Stay where you are, and hold your tongue!"_

"_Threaten me as you will, but I'll not give up the Mani Katti. The Mani Katti is a sacred blade, under divine protection. It cannot be removed from it's place of rest!"_

"_You're a fool, old man. What good is a sword, if you can not use it?"_

"_Use it? In combat? Sacrilege!"_

"_Sacrilege? I am Glass! The gods fear my name! My swordplay is peerless! And if I want this sword, then this sword I shall have! Now, get out of my way!"_

"_Oof!"_

"_This is it! It's more magnificent than I'd imagined! This sword was made for a swordsman of my skill. Hmm? What's this? I can't... draw the sword... from it's scabbard?"_

"_The spirits of the blade have judged you. You have been found wanting. They have rejected you."_

"_What? Listen, you senile old fool, if you value your own life, you'll get out of my sight!!! Curses! Miserable spirits! I care nothing for you! I'll tear this altar down stone by stone!"_

We saw the old stone shrine right before us, and we all got off the horses. Kent and Sain helped us off, of course. Hmm... this shrine is quite old... and it's of stone, hinting that it's really of Sacaean heritage...

"It's here." Lyn began to tell us about the story of this shrine. "In this temple is encased the ancient sword, the Mani Katti. It's a Sacaean belief to go to the sword and touch it before setting on a journey."

"Ah, what a charming belief!" Sain marveled at that legend. As a tactician, I'm not interested in legends and such. I prefer to rely on facts. "Come now, we must see that sword at once!"

Just then, a young lady came running to us. Her face wore a really worried look. "I beg your pardon, milady. Are you headed east? To the altar?" She hurriedly asked us.

Lyn nodded. "Yes, we are indeed."

"Then you must hurry and help the priest there. I saw a band of ruffians head in there not long ago. They seemed intent on stealing the altar's sacred sword!"

"The Mani Katti... They're going to steal it? I cannot allow this to happen!" Lyn had quite an explosive reaction.

"You look like a virtuous group. Please, help him!" the lady hurriedly said, and hurriedly ran off, too.

"Lyndis, my angel, what are you planning?" Sain asked Lyn of her decision.

"If you hope to go to the priest's aid, you'll need to prepare." Kent reminded Lyn. I was about to remind her, too.

"You're right..."

"Say, Lyn..." I was starting to suggest one of the important things in forming strategies. "There are some homes to the south of us. Perhaps we should go there and question the residents."

Tactician Lesson #2: Always gather necessary information, especially if you are not familiar with the environment.

"Yes, you're right, Kumi! I'm glad you're with us."

"Say, aren't you the... Oh! You're going to help the priest!" A young man told us when we approached him. "Well, perhaps you could benefit from something I saw earlier... The bandits may have the main entrance guarded. However, one of the altar's walls is cracked and in poor repair. You might be able to create another entrance by hitting that section with your weapons. We're all counting on you!"

"That's a pretty relevant piece of information." Sain said as the four of us were huddled on the road. "What do you say? Should we use the crack in the wall to enter?"

"Alright, everybody. Here's our plan..." I formed a battle strategy in under one minute. "Lyn and Kent will take the wall route. Sain and I will take the main entrance."

"Are you sure, Kumi?" Lyn questioned my strategy. "If you go with Sain, he might do something stupid again and you might die!"

"Hey!" Sain reacted. "Pardon me, Lady Lyndis, but a knight such as I refuse to die not being able to protect a beauteous lady such as Kumi or you."

"I believe Kumi has planned out everything." Kent supported my idea. "I believe Kumi selected Sain for the main entrance to distract the bandits guarding the entrance. That distraction will leave Lyndis and I free to attack their leader inside. Is that it, Kumi?"

"Yes." I nodded. "For distractions as this, you're best suited, Sain. Just buy Lyn and Kent some time."

"Whatever role you give, I shall execute well!" Sain announced with a boastful air yet again about him. "Come now, Kumi." Sain held his hand out to me to help me get on his horse. "We ride forth to meet the enemies!"

"Good luck, Kumi!" Lyn shouted as Sain and I rode away.

"It's the crack to the western wall, Lyn! Remember that!" I reminded her, before she and Kent were away from sight.

"Hold it right there, everyone!" Sain announced as his horse went to a halt right before the temple's entrance. True enough, bandits were guarding it. "What hideous plans do you have, seizing a sacred temple!?"

"Who in the world are you?!" One of the bandits asked.

"I am Sain, a knight of Caelin, Lycia!" Sain went on with his self-introduction thing. "I've come to battle the evil that has set foot in this temple! Come now, all of you! Fight me!"

"Sain, you're a natural!" I whispered to him. He was good at this distraction role. He really nabs the attention of people.

"Hah! What do you have that will make us want to fight you?" The bandits weren't called bandits for nothing. They were all greedy.

Sain suddenly grabbed me by my clothes and held me. "This! If you beat me, you can have my girlfriend!"

"What are you talking about?!" I reacted. This is too much! Sain isn't actually the best knight... what if he loses?! Then I will fall to the hands of these greedy, lecherous bandits... eeek! Just thinking of it scares me! And Sain called me his girlfriend! Preposterous! I at least look five years younger than him! He should say "sister" or something else!

"He he he... that's a pretty girl you got there..." the bandits began to hold on to their axes. Ah! This is what I feared!

"Sain." I whispered to him, a threatening tone to my voice. "If you lose, I don't know what I'd be able to do to you."

"Fear not, my Kumi! I won't let them take you!" He assured me. "Let's go!!" He said, and he charged towards the bandits, his horse riding fast. I was forced to hold on to him again. He grabbed his lance and... wait! His LANCE?!

"Stupid! Use the sword, not the lance!"

"I left my sword with Kent!"

"WHAT!?!?!"

Before he could give me an appropriate reply, he stabbed one of the men down. It was a lucky hit. "See? I'm doing fine with a lance!"

"That was a lucky hit! It was plain luck!" I implied. And I believed the only reason Sain was still alive today was because he's a lucky guy.

"It was NOT!" Sain's horse turned a sharp right, and I almost fell of the horse if I didn't hold on to Sain's... hair. "Ouch, that hurts! Are you trying to pull my hair off?!"

"No, I'm not!" Then I saw another axe swing towards our direction. "Sain! Behind!"

"_Boss!" One of the bandits hurriedly reported to their leader, Glass. "There's a wild cavalier and a girl attacking the men at the gates!_

_Glass was still trying to pull the Mani Katti from its scabbard, more frustrated than ever. "Stupid sword!"_

"_Boss, what do we do with that knight?"_

"_Send all the men to kill him!" Glass replied, without even giving thought to what he said._

"_Is this that wall?" Kent and Lyn approached the western stone walls of the temple. Kent got off his horse, and tied the creature to a tree nearby._

_Lyn examined the wall, and knocked on it. It seemed hollow and weak. "It seems that this part is easiest part to break."_

"_Very well. Stand back, milady." Kent put his hands on his sword, and was about to draw it when..._

"_Wait, Kent." Lyn stopped the knight from whatever he was gonna do. "Let me do it."_

_Kent was surprised to her the girl volunteering to do such a hard task. "I beg your pardon?"_

"_I said..." Lyn put her hands on her own sword, and drawing it from its case. "Let me do it!" she announced as she swung the iron sword in a diagonal manner._

_And then at last---the wall behind her crumbled into nothing but chunks of stones._

"_Wow. Impressive, Lady Lyndis." Kent praised the girl for her job well done._

"_It was nothing."_

_Lyn and Kent entered the temple halls that housed the famed Mani Katti. Lyn seemed to knew the way, so she immediately knew where to find the room where the legendary sword was._

"_It seems that Sain's doing good." The Sacaean girl remarked. "There's not even a single bandit in security check inside the temple."_

"_They must have thought that if they guard the gate, no one could enter. And that girl... yes, Kumi. She seems to be knowledgeable about strategies." Kent and Lyn continued to walk around the temple._

_Lyn nodded. "Yes, but she always says that she's just an apprentice." Lyn then noticed that they were already in front of the door they were headed to. "We're here."_

_Kent and Lyn opened the door, finding Glass still trying to pull the Mani Katti from it's case, undeterred. He was so concentrated on it that he barely noticed Lyn and Kent on the front door._

"_No matter what you do, you cannot pull it." Lyn finally spoke up, startling Glass. "That is a sacred blade. It will not fall to the likes of men such as you!"_

_Glass let go of the Mani Katti, and pulled his own sword. "Who do you think you are? What chance do you have against me?!"_

"Do you still think this is luck?!" Sain continued our endless wrestle with those bandits. "I already brought down eight!"

"Yes, I still think it is! Oh, watch out!!" I saw once again another axe swing towards our direction, forcing me to duck my head and hold on tight to Sain as his horse turned a sharp turn. He stabbed the enemy once again, with his lance. He must be using a blessed lance or something.

"And that's nine! And I'm fighting with a lance! You still think it's just luck?!" He turned to me and asked me once again. No matter how many times he asks, I'll still say the same thing.

"Noooooo!!!" I shouted.

"Huh? You finally accepted that I'm good?"

"Noooooooo!!! Watch out! Look at the road, will you?! Ah, we're gonna hit a tree!!!!"

"AHH!!! WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SOONER, MY LOVELY LADY KUMI?!?!" Sain reacted, and I also reacted to that "my lovely lady Kumi". I think I said, "Blargh." Or something like that. Sain immediately pulled on his horse, and the horse turned to a quick stop, so quick and sudden that I thought I'd fly away because of it.

But I didn't. Because the next thing I knew, Sain was the one who flew away. No, not because of the tree, but because some axe hit him!!

"Sain!" I jumped off his horse and ran to him. "Are you alright?!"

This is bad... Sain hit his head against the ground, and it was bleeding. "Kumi..." he started to say, and I can feel he was starting to lose consciousness. "...I'm happy... to see... your beauty... before I... die..."

"Sain!! Don't leave me!!" I shook him, as I held onto him and tried to stop his bleeding. "Sain! Sain!"

And to make things worse, I saw the remaining bandits---three of them---surround me. Uh-oh... this is bad.

"Sain!!" I continued to try to wake up Sain, whose eyes were now closed. "You said you won't let them get me! You said... you said..." I... was starting to cry. I'm a failure as a tactician, having one of my friends die on me... I'm a failure!

But the shadows of those men were getting nearer and nearer. Just as expected, I would have to use my last resort... my secret technique...

"You guys there! Ganging up on a vulnerable girl... It's unforgivable!"

Just as when I was about to unleash my secret technique, I saw Lyn and Kent from the distance. Aha! Help has come!

Lyn and Kent charged at those annoying enemies, both armed with their swords. They fought in manners I cannot narrate to you, because as they was fighting I was trying to rescue Sain from the grips of death. But they succeeded, and in seconds, the two of them were right beside me.

"What happened to him?" Lyn asked, but her voice didn't at all sound like she was worried. "I knew you'd be put in danger if you went with him."

I was still in the middle of sobs and sniffs. "Lyn! What if he's... what if he's... dead?"

"He cannot die so easily." Kent insisted. "He is a knight of Lycia."

Lyn carefully removed Sain's armor, and tried to feel his heartbeat. "If he dies..." I continued on, "I... I won't be able to go back to Bern...I won't be able to graduate!"

"He's..." Lyn turned to me and Kent, with a cross face. "I'm afraid he's... his heart is not beating anymore."

This is what I feared the most. This is the end of my career as a tactician.

"I only see one way to save him." Lyn added.

"What way?" I enthusiastically replied, thinking that I _might_ still get my tactician license.

"First-aid." Lyn continued. "Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation."

I gasped. "No way! Who'll do it?!"

Lyn and I both turned towards Kent. "Ah... I left my horse by the tree!" He made up an excuse. "I'd better get him!"

I never saw Kent run so fast in the time we were together.

"No way!" I said once again. "I thought you only use it for people who are drowning!"

"Well...you know Sain, Kumi. He's...he'll live if you do it. I just know it."

"How do you know?"

"Uhh...miracles happen. His fondness of romance may turn up eventually, especially that he likes you as a lovely lady."

"I... I can't!" I resisted. "This is child abuse! I'm only... uh... something-years-old! I can't!"

"Oh..." Lyn looked let down. "Then, we'd better find a place to bury him. You can say goodbye to your tactician license, too."

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! My...my tactician license...my dream of becoming a full-fledged tactician...I can't let it all fade...I can't let it all be blown away by the wind..."

"Then, if you don't want it to fade and blow away, do it for the sake of Sain."

Ugh... Sain... our time together was way too inadequate... we barely knew each other, but... for the sake of my dreams...

"NO WAY!" I got a stone and threw it straight at Sain's armor. I got up and held my hands in prayer. "Oh, Sain. May your soul rest in peace."

"But!" Lyn reacted. "What about your license?"

"Well, I can just fake the records in my logbook anytime. I can make it like no one died." I smiled as I thought of the possibilities. "And how in the world could I kiss a man who looks like THAT?" I pointed to Sain, who was...

In 'ready-to-kiss' form.

Lyn let out a laugh. "Ahehe... I won't do it either."

"Oh, Kumi! My deepest desire! The first flower among the other! I have failed you so! I am now in the heavens! Kiss me so I will regain my strength--"

"Stupid!" I kicked him hard---and that hurt. "Wake up, will you?! It takes more than that to deceive a tactician!"

"Ouch..." Sain got up and held his head, which was only bleeding lightly. "And just a while ago you were in tears because of me, telling me romantic stuff..."

"Romantic stuff?!" I reacted. "Lyn! You... you shall pay for this!"

"Noooo..." Lyn said with a weird smile. "I really thought he was dead!"

"Next time, I'll be the one to set you up!" I told her, and I got up, walking right into the temple.

"Wait, Kumi!" Lyn followed right behind me. "I really didn't know!" She kept on saying that, but she was laughing.

"Hey! Ladies!" Sain called on our attention. "Somebody fix the wound on my head!"

"Ah, your clothing... Are you of the Lorca tribe?" The priest of the temple greeted Lyn as we entered to the room to finally see the Mani Katti.

"I'm Lyn, the chieftain's daughter." Lyn introduced myself. "Are you hurt, sir?"

"Thanks to you, I am unscathed. You have my gratitude."

"And the sword? Is it safe?" I asked.

"Yes, I have sealed the sword safely away. Until I remove my spell, the sword cannot be drawn. Now, as a token of my gratitude, I shall allow you to lay hands upon the Mani Katti. Touch the blade's pattern, and pray for a safe journey."

"Oh, thank you so much!" Lyn was so happy, just because of this sword. I told you I don't believe in old legends and all that...

But as if to counter my thoughts, the moment Lyn lay hands on the slender blade, the Mani Katti, it radiated a brilliant light...

"What? Did-- The sword... It's... glowing."

"Ah. Hm... It's the power of the spirits." The priest answered knowingly. "Lyn, they have looked into your soul, and they call out to you.

"What does that mean?" Lyn questioned.

"You are its rightful owner. You are to wield the Mani Katti."

"No... I can't... I couldn't..." Lyn almost refused to wield this legendary blade. I guess those legendary stories are true, after all.

"It is the sword's wish. If you require proof, draw it from its sheath."

And Lyn did that. She pulled the Mani Katti from its scabbard, the blade all aglow with light. "Um... It came out... effortlessly."

"I never dared to hope that I might meet the wielder of the Mani Katti in my life. I am indeed fortunate to see your sword reach your hands."

"My...sword?" Lyn was still in shock of what she had done. Me too. To think, the blade that she said Glass couldn't pull out... right in her hands!

"It is time for you to go, Lyn. You face a great many ordeals. Grip this sword, and meet your destiny head-on."

"Yes... Yes, sir!"

"So this is the Mani Katti. A blade with no equal." Sain looked over at the sword Lyn held, after I narrated to them what happened inside the temple. There were some bandages over Sain's head now, thankfully.

"This is all so unbelievable. Perhaps the most famous sword in all of Sacae... in my hand." Lyn was still in a state of shock. Hmm... this is kind of interesting. I must write this down in my logbook.

"It's not so strange." Kent told Lyn as he also stared at the blade. "In fact, many legends tell similar tales... Special blades all over the land call out to their proper owners. And yet, when I saw you with that blade, Lyndis... I felt something extraordinary. That sword was waiting for you. You were meant to draw it."

"Stop it! I... I'm nothing special!"

"Think of it this way: Some weapons feel more comfortable in your hand, right?" Sain knowingly said. "Well, the Mani Katti itself feels very comfortable with you. Does this make it any easier for you to accept? It doesn't appear that either of us can use it."

"Yep, there's no way I can use that." I told Lyn.

"How come you never studied swordplay, Kumi?" Sain asked me, but I didn't answer. I didn't have to. I'm kinda weak, so swords and fighting? No way. Only strategies are worth my time.

"It... does feel right in my hand. A blade that only I can wield. That seems reasonable enough. I can understand that." Lyn finally accepted the sword, and we continue on our journey.

--------

A/N: Up next is the part where you get Wil and Florina! xD I can't do much about Florina, I love Wil, though... Oh, and I know there's not a lot of enemies on this map, but randomness just struck me and I put that scene with Sain and Kumi against the bandits. o.O Review at your leisure.


	4. Band of Mercenaries

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER THREE : BAND OF MERCENARIES

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The secrets of her past revealed in the words of two Knights of Lycia. Now, to meet her grandfather, Lyn heads west, to Lycia, and to her destiny. A mountain range separates the Sacae Plains from Bern. There are many bandits lurking here, the cruelest of which are the Taliver. They wreak havoc on both Sacae and Bern, and their savagery knows no bounds. On her tenth days away from the plains, Lyn witnesses their atrocities_

_herself._

-_Kumiko's Journal_

"This place... It's..." Lyn gasped as we saw the area around us. The place was in ruins... walls broken down, houses burnt, trees scattered around...

"The entire area is in ruins!" Sain stated the obvious. "Why doesn't their marquis do anything to help?"

"Taliver Mountain is home to a gang of vicious, ruthless bandits. No marquis holds power here. My village was near here, on the other side of the mountain. My people were…The Taliver Bandits came at night. It took only one night. The survivors numbered less than ten, including me. They are soulless beasts. I will never forgive them. Never." Lyn narrated to us how those cruel bandits took her family...

"Lyndis..." Sain looked concerned at Lyn, so did Kent and I.

"I am not running away." She said, with an air of resolve around her. "I will be back... someday. I'll be stronger... I will break their swords beneath me like twigs beneath a stallion's hooves. I will avenge my people. I'll do everything in my power."

"When the time comes, bring me with you." Sain volunteered,

"Sain..."

"Don't forget me, either." Kent added.

"Kent..."

"You know, I've got some experience with those bandits, too." I told Lyn my story with those cruel bandits. "It was near here, along the mountain range of Bern. Oooh, and when they saw me, they attacked me and I... ran away. I'd love to be there with you when you crush them."

"Oh! You, too, Kumi? I... You're... thank you." Lyn was moved by what the three of us said.

"_Wait right there, little lady! What are you going to do to apologize? Huh?_

"_Uh... I... That is, I..."_

"_Hey, she's quite a catch, eh, buddy? I bet the boss'd give us a pretty penny for her."_

"_Yeah. She roughed me up a bit, so I figure fair's fair. It's no more'n she deserves."_

"_I... I..."_

"_What are we gonna do with her flying mule?"_

"_Don't you dare touch her!"_

"_What? You just watch your mouth, girlie!"_

"_Do what you will with me, just... Let her go. Please, I beg of you."_

"_Ha ha ha! Silly twit! Pegasi can only be found in Ilia. They're rare beasts, worth more than you by far! We can sell it for a mountain of gold. Let it go? HA!"_

"_No, you can't..."_

"_C'mon! Let's move!"_

That was some of the ruffled noise we heard as we passed by some men crowding around...someone. We'd better be careful, for I smell trouble...

"What's this? Be on your guard, Lyndis. There seems to be some sort of commotion over there." Kent warned Lyn. He should. You know, Kent would make a good tactician.

"That's... That's a pegasus!" Lyn however, was peering over at what was going on there. "Could it be? Florina? Is that you, Florina?" She shouted as she ran towards the men and a light purple haired young girl with a pegasus behind her.

"Ah! Lyn?" This girl who Lyn called Florina was surprised to see Lyn.

"Florina! What are you doing in a place such as this?" Florina must be one of Lyn's friends, because she rushed to her without even paying attention to those baddies surrounding her.

"Lyn! Is it really you? I... I..." Florina already looked teary. Those guys must be doing something bad to her.

"Come now, no crying!"

"...I'm sorry." Florina apologized as she hid behind Lyn, possibly because she saw me, Sain, and Kent approach them. Not that we look like bad guys.

"You are acquaintances?" Kent asked for the obvious. It's really obvious they're friends.

"She's my friend." Lyn answered. "This is Florina, a pegasus knight in training from Ilia. She's a little uncomfortable around men. Tell me, Florina. What happened here?"

"Well... um..." Florina started to narrate about her fate and why she was here. "When I heard that you had left... I decided to follow you. Then I saw this village... I flew down to ask if they had news of you. I didn't see these two, and... well..."

"Did your pegasus land on them?" Lyndis assumed.

"Well, I... A little..."

The two brigands hanging around finally reacted. "Aha! You heard her! She admits her fault! She stepped on my friend, and now she's got to pay!"

"Did you apologize, Florina?" Lyn asked the fragile girl.

"Yes! I told them I was sorry many times over. They just wouldn't listen...!" Florina answered, and she was starting to cry again.

"Don't cry. It's all right." Lyn told Florina many times over, and she turned to those two baddies. "Listen, she's obviously sorry. Can't we just let this pass? You don't appear to be injured or anything."

_Nope! We can't let this pass!_ I heard my tactician spirit call out to me. _They're bad and they must be dealt with!_

Well... even if I want to put to use some more stuff I learned from school, we're hurrying to Caelin. We must avoid unnecessary fights... and that's kinda sad.

"No chance. The girls goes with us-- by force if need be!" The leader of those brigands had a harder head than I thought. "Hey! C'mon out now, boys! The men are fair game, but don't put a scratch on the girls!"

Aha! Is this an announcement of a fight?! Yes, sure it was. The next thing that occurred was that some more bandits appeared out of nowhere. Yes... another game—I mean, another chance to review my tactician skills.

"Kumi! We've got to fight back!" Lyn told me, but I didn't need telling.

"Yes, I know that!" I got my handy-dandy strategist's logbook, as Sain and Kent readied their horses and weapons. I looked carefully at the layout of the mountains... Hmm... there's these walls scattered around everywhere, broken down were some of them, but... maybe we could use them...

"Lyn! I--!" Florina was going to say something. Hmm... now, about those walls...

"You're a pegasus knight, aren't you? You can fight, can't you?" Lyn asked Florina.

"...Yes!"

"Lyn!" I called on Lyn's attention. "Are you... sure? She might get hurt!"

"She's a pegasus knight of Ilia! She has to fight some time or another!" Lyn told me. Yeah... pegasus knights in the sky would prove to be useful... I hope.

"Listen carefully, Kumi. We're facing bandits. They're underlings, but we can't take them too lightly. Let's clear them out of here. Are you ready?"

I nodded. I was always ready. "The layout around here might make it difficult to fight. The same holds true for our foe, too. If we use these walls just so, they may ensure our victory."

Lyn looked around. "You plan to use the walls?

"Yes... only pegasus knights can fly over these walls... it would be good if we had a long-range combatant, too, but..."

"Lyn... Who's that?" Florina warily looked at me.

"This is Kumi." Lyn introduced me to the young girl. "She's still an apprentice, but she's my tactician."

"Hi." I greeted the girl with a smile, so that she can fight better. Heh.

"Oh, I see... Uh... Kumi? I'm pleased to meet you."

"Everyone ready?" I called out to the guys.

"Yeeeeeeeesssss!!!" Sain replied, looking really excited. I hope his head is already okay. Oh, I pray he doesn't do anything stupid again...

"Then, carry out Kumiko strategy number 4! Our objective—defeat those baddies!!!"

"So, so? What do we do?" Lyn hurriedly asked me.

"Kent and Sain---defend this area by stopping the enemies by the crowded space along the western walls. Lyn and Florina... go warn the villages."

"_Is anyone there?" Lyn went to a village north from her previous post._

"_Leave us alone, you thugs! Go away! Go away! We've no more gold for you!" came a man's voice._

"_No, wait! Please! We're not bandits! We want to help the village. Please listen!"_

"_Remain inside, everyone. I'll go see what's happening." A young man's voice said, and from the village hall came a young man, with red-brown short hair, and a bow. "Not bandits, huh? So, who are you?"_

_Lyndis started introducing herself, "My name is Lyn. My colleagues and I are just traveling through here. We saw some bandits about. We're going to deal with them, but... We need you to go and warn the villagers."_

"_Hey! Wait! The name's Wil." The boy decided to introduce himself, too. "I'm a traveler of sorts, too. Listen, these villagers have been kind to me. Mind if I fight with you?" Wil offered his help._

"_Not at all. We need all the help we can get! Welcome aboard, Wil!" Lyn immediately accepted the archer's offer._

"Kumi!" Lyn returned to me, pulling a young man with brown hair, carrying a bow and quiver. "I got someone to help us!"

"Hi, I'm Wil. Nice to meet your acquaintance." He introduced himself, offering his hand to me for a handshake. Hmm… he doesn't seem to be the Sain type, so I took his hand and shook it. He didn't do anything weird. [If it were Sain, he'd suddenly kiss my hand. Eeekk…

"I just wanna defend the village. I've been staying here for the while." He explained his situation. "So? You're the tactician? Why don't you issue me a command? I'd love to help!"

"Ahh…! Kent, my boon companion. Why is it that place is so ravaged, unfitting of the beauty of our lady Lyndis and Kumiko?" Sain asked Kent as he finished attacking a bandit with his sword. "We must get out of here fast… our beloved ladies might suffer from sunburns…"

"Sain, kindly concentrate on your duty." Kent was also busy fighting the bandits, magnificently. And then he caught sight of an arrow, flying towards them. "Sain, look out!"

"Oh, my heart! An arrow towards my heart!" Sain screamed, seeing the silver arrow flying in the air… towards his enemy. He and Kent turned to face where the arrow came from… from Wil, who was behind them and beside me.

"Kumi! Watch out! An enemy archer endangers you!" Sain said. Stupid… can't even distinguish enemy archers from his own.

"Wil, that was great! You prove useful as an archer!" I was… astonished. I always wanted to learn archery, but I never had the steady hand that archers needed.

"Okay, now we press forward with our attack!!" Lyn announced, and I was happy to have such a high level of energy flowing around the place.

"Kumi!" Someone called my name. I turned around, and saw Florina from the skies, on her white winged horse. "I got us some money from a village!"

"Great!" I remarked as she tossed a cloth bag towards me. Ugh, it was rather heavy! I'll say it weighs about…oh, estimate 2000 gold pieces! "Alright, Florina! It's time you fought, too!"

"I... I am ready to fight. I'll follow your orders...!" She forcefully said, and I ordered her to support Sain, Kent, Wil, and Lyn beside me.

Mmmhh…battle strategies… none that matters! I could say the group I'm commanding is okay in their fighting—they won't need a strategy! It's just Sain (who's out of his mind) and Florina (who seems scared and a little weak) that need watching out. Oh, let's not forget Wil, who's an archer and vulnerable to close-range attacks…Argh! Are the only reliable people here Lyn and Kent?! That's it—this situation is forcing me to form a strategy of some sort!

"Lyn! What should I do? There's an archer!!!" I heard a commotion as I was in deep thought.

"What? Where!? Oh, that's Wil." Lyndis mentioned Wil.

"Florina, fear only the enemy's archers, not your own." I told her as the two cavaliers were probably overworked with fighting.

"Yes... of course..."

Well, there wasn't really a strategy here. I used Kent, Lyn, and Sain by the crowded space between the walls to lure the enemy closer to those things. Then Wil or Florina in the back row will attack with their long range weapons (bow and javelin) to the enemies. That's how the battle finished, really. I hadn't seen much action—thank goodness. I think this is how tacticians really should be. Now that I'm commanding about five people, I'm safe and away from the enemy's reach, unlike before…

"That's finally taken care of!" Lyn said, relieved as she sheathed her Mani Katti back to its case. "I'm tired!"

So was I. I wasn't tired because of the fighting (didn't do any) but because of the traveling.

"Lyn!" Florina got off her Pegasus and ran to Lyn. My, she's attached to her.

"Florina... Why did you follow me? It's so dangerous." Lyn asked as she held the girl's shoulders. I wonder how old Florina is… she and I look roughly the same age…

"Do you remember the knighting ceremony of the Pegasus Knight of Ilia?"

"Yes, you join a band of freelance soldiers to further your training. Is that what brought you here, Florina?"

Florina nodded. "Uh-huh. I wanted to talk to you before I set out. But when I went to Sacae, I heard that you had left with some strangers, and..."

Lyn continued for the girl. "You were worried for me? Thank you, but I'm more worried about you."

"…Me?" Florina curiously asked.

"Listen, most mercenaries are men, right? Bands of men? I can't imagine you being at all comfortable around them." Lyn answered.

Florina gave a heavy sigh, and said, "I know, I know. It's just... I've always dreamt of being a pegasus knight. I imagined I would just... work it out. Somehow. After today, I'm not so sure. Maybe I should just... give up."

Florina was on the verge of crying. I sensed it, and Lyn did, too. "Florina... Don't cry..." she put an arm around Florina.

"Yes! There's no reason to give up your dream!" came a certain voice of a certain annoying cavalier…

"Hm?" Florina and Lyn were both startled.

"Lovely Florina! I have the most brilliant idea!" Sain entered the discussion of the two girls. There he goes again…

"Sain!" Kent tried to warn the companion from anything stupid he's up to. Obviously, he's trying to hit on Florina. If I look five years younger than Sain, well…she looks younger than that.

"You should come with us!" Sain invited. "With the addition of Wil here, we're a fine group of soldiers, and freelance to boot!"

"Wait, did you just include me?" Wil heard his name and he was surprised. He was beside me, restringing his bow. He said it's been a while since he has done that.

"Of course! We were destined to meet here! It's fate! Come now, Lyndis' band of mercenaries is as good a training group as you will find anywhere!" He continued his invitation. Seriously, I think the only reason he's asking Florina is because she's cute.

"Sain... This is no joking matter!" Kent continued to make Sain realize what he was doing.

"Lyndis? Um, Lyn? Mercenaries?" Florina was puzzled.

Lyn sighed, and decided it was best to keep a close watch on Florina by bringing her along. "I can give you details later. This is all a bit rushed. However, Sain is right. Will you come with us, Florina?"

Great…I have another unit to make strategies for…

"Travel with you, Lyn? Truly? I would be so... so happy!" Florina looked like she would cry out of joy any minute. She cheerfully held Lyn in an embrace.

"Fantastic!" Sain remarked. "Beauteous Florina! I am a knight of Caelin. My name is Sain..." He introduced himself, approaching the girl and aiming to hold her hands…

Florina reacted to this by hiding behind Lyn. It was the exact same thing I did when I saw Sain. "Eeek! Stay back! Don't get so close!"

"Ah... Beautiful, and yet so modest!"

I saw Kent give a look that went, "There he goes again…" Sain's insanity…it's just incurable. Wil just laughed, finding the scenes occurring humorous.

"I beg your forgiveness. Calling us mercenaries..." I heard Kent say as he pulled Lyn away from Florina and Sain, who were talking.

"No, I approve. We can't leave Florina on her own. She requires special attention, though. Can I count on you?"

"Yes, of course. You have but to ask."

Hmm…yeah, Kent and Lyn…those two… I have to set them up someday.

"So... Is it really all right if I travel with you?" Wil suddenly asked me as I was plotting revenge on Lyn for what she did with me to Sain.

"Oh, yes. Of course! If you're willing, Wil." I answered.

"Actually, I'm very grateful." He smiled and then explained his situation. "Truth be told, all of my money was stolen, and I'm... at a bit of a crossroads. I would be honored to count myself one of Lyndis' Legion!"

Lyndis' Legion? Is that what he called us? This is getting stranger with every day…


	5. In Occupation's Shadow

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER FOUR : IN OCCUPATION'S SHADOW

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_After defeating the bandits, Lyn continues westward. She and her colleagues stop for the night at a ruined fortress. The Ganelon bandits are in a rage after their brethren fell to Lyn's swords. They race in pursuit of the companions. Their angry footsteps sound closer and closer..._

_-Kumiko's Logbook_

"Ah, this should suffice! Tonight's bed!" Wil announced as we came along a beat-down old fortress. It was probably brought to ruin by some war years ago.

Sain, however, had a violent reaction. "This mildewy old fortress? Is this the best we can do? Come on, Wil! Surely you jest!"

"The bandits keep everything in turmoil around here." Wil knowingly explained. "No one has time to worry about travelers. And there are rather a lot of us."

"Don't be so picky, Sain." I told him, as I got off his horse. Ah, I better get used to horse riding…

"This will be fine." Lyn added. "Who wants to be stuck inside, anyway? I prefer a place where I can feel the wind blow."

"As long as I'm at Lyn's side, I'll be fine." Who else could say that, but Florina. If you thought it was me, well… it wasn't me. I'm not clingy to Lyn, at least.

"And for your protection, your man-at-arms Sain will be right here by your side, ladies." Sain announced, confidently.

Sain? By our side while we're sleeping?! No way! "I'm not letting you anywhere near me, Sain." I sternly told him. I think I looked harsh, but who knows what Sain might do!

"Sain, both you and I are to remain awake. We will alternate the watch." Kent suddenly said, much to my relief. We girls nodded.

"Ah, alas..."

While we were all chatting, Wil was unpacking some sleeping bags. He, at least, was useful. I'd bet he was used to traveling. "I'll start a fire later," he even volunteered. I decided that he was a good guy.

"Your pardon, milady..." came a voice from behind us, while Sain was pleading Kent to skip on watch or at least keep watch over us girls instead.

"Who's there?" Lyn turned around to see this woman, who looked common enough. I took a good look at her… and her left leg seems to be… twisted, but only slightly. She must've had it since birth or by an accident…

Lyn approached the woman, and everyone else didn't seem to mind. Wil and Florina were setting up camp, and Sain was arguing with Kent still. I tagged along with Lyn. Of course, I need to keep watch over her, in case she gets deceived or something…

"I... Forgive my intrusion... My name's Natalie." The woman introduced herself. "I'm from a village not far from here... Ah! Ow..." she clutched her left leg, alarming me and Lyn.

"Are you all right? Hm? Your leg..." Lyn noticed the woman's handicap.

"It's fine. Don't worry. It's from a childhood sickness... I can't travel far on it, but it doesn't trouble me much."

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" Even if I pitied her, I still need to be critical of people… especially strangers.

"I'm looking for my husband…" Natalie narrated her story. "I heard he was in this area. He said he was going to raise money to have my leg mended. He left the village and hasn't returned. He's a kindhearted man, but I think he might be involved in something dangerous. I got so worried..." Then she produced a rumpled sheet or paper from the front pockets of her skirt. She spread the paper open, to reveal a… rather… bad…. sketch of a man. "Here's a sketch of him. It's a poor likeness at best, but... His name is Dorcas. Do you know of him?"

Lyn shook her head. "I'm sorry. I don't believe I've seen or heard of him."

"I see... If you do meet him, please give him a message. Tell him that Natalie is looking for him."

"I will tell him. I promise." Lyn said told the woman, being kindhearted to a fault… at least to me.

I was about to tell Lyn not to promise anything that she might not be able to do, when I accidentally glanced at Kent, who had a somewhat stupefied look. It took him a while to say, "Lady Lyndis! I… I sense some people watching us from afar…"

"What did you say?" Lyn was surprised.

I, however, was disappointed. As a tactician, I'm supposed to have good instincts and detect people watching me by a mere gut feeling…and Kent beat me at it. That's it, I will never be a great tactician…

"Persistent bunch, aren't they?" Sain assumed that they were those bandits from before. "What do you think? Shall we go out and face them?"

Sain was addressing the question to Lyn, but I _accidentally _clapped my hands loudly. Everyone turned to me. "Ehem. I just had a nice plan."

"Leave it to the tactician to think." Lyn spoke, and she spoke well. He he.

"We can't charge in at them---Natalie here would be left vulnerable." I gave a quick glance to Natalie, who was surprised that I considered her safety. "They probably know that we're tired from travel. So… they're waiting for a more suitable time to attack, but not before dark. So, we'll enter the fortress and pretend to be resting…"

"And they come in close at us and attack?" Wil tried to guess what would happen next.

"Right… and there's something else that you men must do…" I added.

"What?!" Sain asked, going a little closer to me. "What will we do?"

Ugh… he sounded a little too excited. I hope he's not thinking anything strange.

Uhm… Kumi, don't think of that… it's time to put a plan to action…

"Sain, you pervert!" I suddenly shouted, at the top of my lungs. "What did you think you were supposed to do?! Really… I can't believe someone like you is a knight!"

"What…?!" Sain looked shocked. It seemed like he really wasn't thinking what I thought he was thinking. Thank goodness.

"Come on, girls." I mentioned to Lyn, Florina, and Natalie. "Let's get some rest. And not anywhere near Sain."

"What's the matter… Kumi?" Florina had no idea what trick I was trying to pull.

"Yes, Sain is a pervert." Lyn seemed to just go with whatever I'm doing. She helped Natalie into the fortress. Natalie was also clueless. Florina still looked confused, but nevertheless, she followed Lyn and Natalie inside.

"Why?!" Sain was, once again, overacting. "I didn't do anything wrong! Kumi! What have I done?!"

I ignored him, and grabbed Wil by the collar of his shirt. "Wil, you're coming with me."

"What?! But, what about…" Wil had a hard time setting up the tents and sleeping bags outside, so he seemed reluctant to leave them.

I…ahem… unintentionally made my voice sweeter, and told him, "Oh, Wil… we've got better _things _to do inside."

I gave him a look, seriously ordering him to go along with me. He seemed to have understood.

He just smiled, as if to act, saying, "What you're saying doesn't sound bad."

I let go if his shirt, and he and I went inside the fortress, his arms draped over my shoulders. I didn't mind. It was for the sake of a plan, after all. Sain looked crushed. Kent looked like he didn't have any emotion on his face, like he usually looks like.

"Nooo!!! Why is he so lucky?!" I heard Sain groan.

"Sain, you are so…" Kent began, but his words trailed off. I guess he didn't want to hurt Sain by saying he was stupid. "Kumiko knows what she's doing, even if she only claims to be a novice."

"What?! She knows what she's doing already?! She looks so young… and she already knows how to… do… _that_…?!"

"No, fool! You have it wrong!" Kent scolded him.

"Wil… this wall…" Inside the fortress, which, thankfully, wasn't so huge, I saw a trouble spot.

"You're right… it looks like it would give in when hit with some force." He ran his fingers on the wall of old stone, with a lot of cracks. "This wouldn't be nice if the enemies found it."

"I want you to keep watch here. If the enemy shows signs of breaking the walls, take proper defensive measures." I gave him his orders. He nodded, and I ran next to Lyn and the girls. There were in the inner, central room, whispering things to each other.

"Kumi! What's the plan of action?" Lyn greeted me with that question.

"Lyn, Florina. There's a huge window to the east, a possible entrance of the enemies. We'll go there."

"U-Understood!" Florina forced herself to get up, right after Lyn.

"Natalie, you'll be safe here. We've guarded all possible entrances." I assured Natalie, who was helplessly sitting on the floor, her bad leg positioned nicely so it won't bother her. "We'll finish this in no time. I'll be back for you.

She only nodded. It must be hard for a commoner, a normal civilian, to suddenly be involved in a battle.

I ran to the east entrance, seeing Florina, her pegasus, and Lyn. "Sain and Kent are at the front, and I've stationed Wil to the west. We can't not hold them back."

"_Boss! They've entered the fortress… all the ladies are inside the fortress, while the men are outside! They're resting!"_

"_Perfect! We just defeat the men outside, and sneak into the fortress and take the ladies… yes! That's what we're going to do! Let's go!"_

"Ganelon Bandits…" I tried to tell the two of my experience with those disgusting men. "They're not just bandits… they take women and sell them to noble houses, inns, or other bandit groups. Aside from the money they take from villages, that's how they earn."

I had the time to see the reaction of the two. Florina looked frightened, proving her phobia for men. Lyn looked infuriated that such men existed. Florina's pegasus, of course, had no reaction.

"How did you know that, Kumiko?" Lyn asked. And I wished she hadn't asked.

I guess I had to tell. "I got caught by them once."

I saw Florina shiver. Lyn's eyes widened. She asked, "What did they do to you?"

I smiled. "Nothing. I managed to escape before anything could happen."

"I can't believe it! She looks like such a young, innocent girl, and you claim she already knows how to do… _that_?!" Sain still couldn't comprehend what Kent last said.

"Shush, Sain." Kent tried to quiet down the cavalier, as he climbed on his horse. Kent already felt the movements of the enemy.

Sain didn't seem to hear. He was smiling in a weird manner. "But, it's probably better if she already knew how to do _it_. I can sneak up on her while she's sleeping and she would know how to react---Holy!!!" Sain screamed as an axe almost cut his head in half, if it weren't for Kent blocking the weapon with his sword.

"Think of your thoughts later!" Kent told his friend. "We've got enemies to deal with!"

Sain viewed the surroundings. There were about five bandits, and more to come. He just sighed, as he climbed onto his horse, and held his sword. "Looks like the daydreaming will have to wait later."

"Yup, in the mountain borders of Bern, the bandits are RUTHLESS." I continued to tell stories to Florina, her pegasus, and Lyn, as we were waiting for someone to attack. "Somehow, something's wrong with my home country. Ah, the royal family is such a mess there. If by any chance some twist of luck happens, and I become the queen of Bern, I will make cha----"

"AAHH!" Florina screamed when she saw a bandit appear right behind us.

She died. Or so I thought. Okay, she didn't die. But her scream made her sound like she did.

Lyn immediately backed away from the huge, axe-wielding bandit, who had this serious, emotionless face, looking like he really didn't like what he was doing. Sigh…the lack of decent jobs these days really is a---

"Kumi, watch out!!" Lyn and Florina both screamed, stopping my thoughts. The bandit was attacking me with his axe… Oh, my…!

"Ahhh!!!" I screamed, hoping that my scream didn't sound like Florina's a while ago.

I closed my eyes, raising my arms to protect my face, and I heard the sound of metals colliding. I opened my eyes. Lyn was in front of me, shielding me from the axe of the bandit.

"Lyn…" I muttered in amazement, because Lyn was able to act quickly. She is sooo cool, she makes me ask myself why I didn't just train in swordplay.

"Stay back, Kumi!" she screams, exchanging another blow with the axe-wielding bandit. Ohh… '_Stay back'… _how heroic.

But I did stay back, watching Lyn continue to spar with the axe man, and Florina jump onto her pegasus, trembling. It was time for action, and time for me to retreat somewhere safe and somewhere that I'll be able to oversee everything…

But that bandit just looks kind of familiar…

Unintentionally, I took the folded paper from Natalie containing the sketch of her husband. Hey… isn't this… the sketch looks a lit like…

"Lyn!" I jumped at Lyn, immediately declaring, "He looks just like the sketch!"

I held out the paper to Lyn, and the fighter-bandit just stared at us with puzzled eyes. It only took one glance for Lyn to ask the man, "You! Tell me, are you Dorcas?"

The puzzled look grew into a more puzzled one "... How do you know my name?"

I left the talking to Lyn. "Natalie told me. What are you doing with these rogues?"

Dorcas answered like everything was so simple. "I need money."

"That may be, but..." Lyn pressed on, "joining up with mercenaries?"

"It's the only way to earn gold in these parts. I'll do anything... even this."

Lyn seemed to snap at this. "For gold? Anything? Would you hurt your wife? Natalie is here! We're protecting her within this fortress!!"

Dorcas seemed surprised. "What!? Natalie's... She's here?"

"She was so worried that she came looking for you. Think, Dorcas! Would your actions please your wife?" Lyn continued.

After a short silence, Dorcas said, "...You're right."

"Well?"

"I understand. I can't do this. I'm done with these bandits. Here and now." Dorcas said with a sigh, It seems he's realized the bad of his ways.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes... And I would repay you for your kindness toward Natalie. Allow me to fight for you."

That was it. Never underestimate the power of persuasive speech. Lyn was getting good at that—ah, proof that she _is_ a noblewoman.

But I, as the tactician, still remember we were in the middle of the fight.

"Florina!" I called the attention of the pegasus knight, and her head turned towards me. "You stay here with Dorcas. Your goal is to stop any bad guys from coming here."

Dorcas nodded, but Florina seemed hesitant. "Aah… Kumi…"

I just smiled at her and winked. "You can do it."

She slowly nodded in response.

"Lyn, will check on Kent and Sain. I'll go to Natalie then Wil." I informed them, and then I pulled on Lyn's hand and we ran on our way.

"_How are you guys holding up?" Lyn ran to the two cavaliers at the front entrance to the fortress. They seemed preoccupied with the bandits that were flooding them._

"_Great, just great!" Sain groaned, stabbing another bandit with his…lance. The foolhardy knight really did prefer that as his weapon… Lyn couldn't comprehend if he was complaining or what._

"_We're fine, milady Lyn." Kent paused in fighting to open a vulnerary and dab some onto a small wound on his cheek._

"Wil! How are things!" I ran to the archer, after stopping by Natalie and telling her Dorcas was fine. Wil greeted me by flinging his arrow right through a high window of the wall.

"Someone's trying to break the wall open!" He reported, taking another arrow from his quiver. True enough, after he said that, rocks from the solid wall started crumbling. Little by little… He needs back-up to take care of those bandits in case the wall breaks down.

"I'll send Lyn here for back-up!" I told him. "While you can, please continue shooting those fools!"

"Got that!" He nods and he strings another arrow into his bow.

"Lyn! To Wil for back-up!" I yelled to Lyn as I ran past her. She was behind Kent and Sain, assisting them. She didn't say anything, just run to Wil's location.

"Sain! Kent! How are you?" I inquired.

"We can handle it!" Sain replied.

I then ran to Florina and Dorcas to check their condition. What greeted me was the sight of Florina flying by the enemies in her majestic white pegasus, then Dorcas finishing him off by flinging his hand axe toward said enemy.

"Are you alright?" Dorcas asks Florina as her pegasus lands on the floor.

"Uhm… yes."

I watched as a few more sword-using bandits came up, and the two of them finish the bandits off with their teamwork. Actually, I was doing something else while watching. I was analyzing the skill of this Dorcas guy. He had a serious face and a huge body with lots of muscle, and he effortlessly wields a heavy axe. He doesn't seem to be a bad guy either… he seems quiet but nice…

Maybe I should hire him into the group? We don't have any axe-users…

"The enemy has fled! Kumi! We've won!!!" A few minutes after, Lyn ran to me, Natalie trailing behind her. I was just talking to Dorcas of some things…

"Dorcas!" Natalie went to her husband and held him in an embrace. Aw…

"I'm so sorry, Natalie." He whispered to her, as he was stroking her hair.

I turned to Lyn, Florina right behind me, holding her pegasus by it's reins. "Lyn. How are the three guys?"

"They're cleaning up and setting camp. Wil's starting a fire and heating up the rations we have." She explains, and she turns to Florina. "Well… how are you, Florina? Are you tired?"

"Uhm… I-I'm fine, Lyn. Just a little… nervous." She answers, stuttering. She always does that.

I put a hand on Florina's shoulder, saying, "Florina did well, Lyn. You should've seen her fight. She was great."

Florina blushed. Out of embarrassment, maybe. "Kumi! Please…"

"Anyway, Lyn, Florina and I will go help the others set up camp." I told her, and I pulled on Florina and her pegasus, and we went towards the center of the fortress.

"_All's well that ends well. Right, Natalie?"_

"_Our village is close. I'll take Natalie home and return tomorrow."_

"_Hm? Why can't we just say our farewells today?"_

"_Well, I... I spoke with Kumi. I... I've been invited to join your group."_

"_But we're going to Lycia..."_

"_I have to go somewhere to earn money. If you think I'll be of use, I'd like to fight for you. You helped my wife... I owe you."_

"_Dorcas..."_

"_Please, Lyn. We are both in agreement on this. Watch over my husband."_

"Things have finally calmed down." Lyn sighed, as she and I were already on our sleeping rolls, by the fire. It was starting to get cold… and Wil from afar was already snoring lightly. He must've been pretty tired… Florina was sleeping as well. I was facing my Tactician Logbook, writing down things that happened.

"We'll continue taking turns keeping watch. Please rest easily." Kent assured us. That was very knightly of him and Sain to do… keep watch. Well, those thugs might just suddenly attack in the middle of the night and all… but they were going to miss on sleep…

"Is that all right? Are you sure? Sain?" I asked the green-armored knight.

His thoughts might have been somewhere else, because he suddenly jerked up, saying "Oh! Er, yes! Of course!"

Lyn said, with a stern tone to her voice, "Let me warn you... If bandits sneak up on you, they'll cut you down without mercy. Do you understand that?"

"What, do you doubt my bravery?" Sain was quick to talk back. "Am I not a knight? There's no need to worry! Right, Kent?"

Kent nodded. "If there's anything suspicious, we'll take care of it. Rest assured."

Lyn just smiled. "Really? Well, good night then…" And then she turned to me, "See you tomorrow, Kumi."

I smiled back, putting away my logbook back into my bag. "Goodnight, Lyn…"


	6. Beyond the Borders

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER FIVE : BEYOND THE BORDERS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_The next morning comes too quickly. Lyn has fought back the bandits' attack. Now, she rushes for the border of Bern. If she can reach it, Lycia itself is not far off. For a moment, Lyn stops to imagine the face of a grandfather she's never seen._

_-Kumiko's Logbook_

"We've almost reached the Lycian border." Kent looked at the map in his hands. Of course we've almost reached the border! The mountains of my country, Bern, were starting to vanish from sight. So, goodbye to my country, then…

It was a good, clear day. I'll finally be able to see Lycia! I don't know if there's any difference from the lands I was used to, but I was excited. Our group, "Lyndis' Legion" (as Wil calls us), is pretty near our goal… finally…

Lyn was taking the lead, riding Kent's horse, and guided by the man Kent himself. Kumi, mental note to self: You must set up those two. Someday. When opportunity strikes. I still haven't forgotten how Lyn stuck me with Sain!

Beside Lyn and Kent was Sain, his horse trailing behind him. Sain looks like his normal self—smiling and happy and all that.

I was walking with Florina, and she was lugging her Pegasus by its reins. She and I were caught in a little chat about Lycia.

And at the rear was Wil, who was always on the lookout for enemies from behind. He took that as his job, though no one really told him to do that. But it's very nice of him. He's always making himself useful.

And beside him was Dorcas, the newest member of Lyndis' Legion. He was just walking with us quietly, his bag with a few belongings and his axe hanging on his back.

"Once we cross, we'll be safe from the bandits, right?" Lyn asked Kent.

But it was Wil, our rear lookout, who answered, "We should be. I doubt they'll be willing to pursue us across the border."

"Lycia at last!" Sain suddenly exclaimed. "It's been a long time. Tomorrow, we'll dine on a feast of Lycia's finest foods! And the mistress of the inn at the crossing is said to be a beauty. Ah, yes... Food and love. No better way to restore a man's soul! This is going to be a fine evening, eh, Kent?"

I noticed Kent arch an eyebrow. Slightly. Only slightly. It must be my eyes… "If your behavior is as deplorable as ever, we'd best stay elsewhere. We're not here for sightseeing."

"Oh, come now! That's not fair!"

"Kent, the inn will be fine." Lyn said the unexpected. Oh well, we really didn't need to be picky about where to stay…

"As you say, milady."

This was going on when Florina turned to me and said with a relieved smile, "Ah! We'll finally be able to get a good night's sleep."

I just shrugged. "Those bandits are persistent, I'll give them that much."

Exactly after I said that, a voice came shouting through the forests, "Ah! Here they are! I've found 'em!!"

Wil, who was on lookout, immediately spotted the brigand in the bushes. "What? Not again! They're still after us?"

"He he heh heh heh! Don't think you're getting away so easily!"

"You leave alive, and everyone'll think the Ganelon bandits have gone soft."

"So? We care nothing for you or your reputations. We must get to Lycia! Get in our way, and you'll pay!"

"Cheeky little thing, aren't you? Let's get 'em, lads! And no holding back just 'cause there's women with 'em! Wipe 'em out!"

"_Oooh... We're lost. This makes me so mad!" A priestess, bright pink hair divided into two pigtails at the top of her head, grumbled to a purple haired mage with a red cloak. Her high-pitched voice echoed a little in the forest, and his ears winced—if ears could wince._

"_You told me you were certain this was the correct path." The male mage tried to retain his calm._

"_What's your point, Erk? What are you trying to say?"_

_He smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead. "... I swear, you are NOT the woman I agreed to escort..."_

"_What?" she inquired, in a voice that annoyed him. " What's that supposed to mean?"_

"_I heard someone was needed to escort a frail Lycian priestess to Ostia..."_

"_Yes, and I'm that priestess." She declared, hand pointed to herself._

"_Frail? You?" Erk tried his best to put on a shocked reaction. "Serra, you have no need of any escort to protect you. Even the most hardened criminal would flee in terror after five minutes in your company. I'll return your money. Gladly. NOW, will you please go on to Ostia alone?"_

"_NO! Youre MY escort, Erk! MINE!" she argued, " You're so clean and tidy. A noblewoman like myself can't be seen without a proper escort. Your personality's nothing special, but you're not bad to look at."_

"_I believe," he snapped, " that's my line. And I have to take you all the way to Ostia? I only hope my nerves can endure the journey."_

"_What are you mumbling about? You're so gloomy!" she yelled, almost considering pouting. Almost. And she could have done it, too, haven't noises coming from a certain direction distracted her. " Hm? Something's happening over there. Let's take a look!"_

_She runs off towards the noise, and he takes time to pity himself. He mutters,"Ah. Of course. The first opportunity to get involved in trouble, and she jumps right in. No amount of money is worth this. Hoo..."_

"Florina, help Wil get to a tree, will you?" I bellowed my orders around the battlefield, not worrying about the brigands being around me as well. "Sain! Use the sword, idiot!"

"What?" Sain looked back at me, looking away from the enemy he was fighting with.

I predicted what would happen next. Sain got knocked off his horse for the umpteenth time…

I couldn't do anything about that, at least. I walked past Dorcas, who was busy fighting a brigand, and snatched a vulnerary from his pouch. He didn't even notice. I then thrust the thing to Sain, who needed it.

In the midst of the commotion, I heard a high-pitched female scream. "Wow! A fight! A fight! Erk! Take a look! Fighting those bandits... It's a young girl!"

I jerked my head towards the noise, and behind those bushes, I found some sort of a spark of fire swallow a brigand…

Hmm… seems like there's a mage around here… maybe…

"Lyn!" I called on her attention. She turned to me, as she pulled her Mani Katti from the flesh of a bandit. I… shuddered at the sight.

"Yes?" She immediately turned to me.

"We're talking to those guys." I pointed into the woods where I saw the spark. "I think we'd gain some allies."

It seems that looking around for allies was my normal job. After all, we're going to Caelin to defeat Lyn's granduncle… He might just send a battalion of troops after us, and…

Lyn and I trudged to the bushes, after I left Kent to take charge. I saw a pink-haired girl in white robes—ah, she may be a cleric; and a purple haired boy in mages' robes. He was holding a light, red book in his hands—a Fire tome. On a side note, I should've been a mage if I weren't a tactician by now.

"Hello?" Lyn called on the attention of the two.

"Hm?" the cleric turned to us, and so did the mage.

"Why are you fighting these bandits?" Lyn inquired.

With a sigh, the mage said, "...It just happened."

Before I could put up the idea of fighting with us, the pink-haired cleric snapped, "That's not true! Those ruffians thought that we were with you!!! You got us into a terrible situation! Now, how are you going to get us out?"

…Ouch. Her voice was both high-pitched AND loud…

"Serra, if you'd not been so meddlesome, this all could have been avoided," the mage reasoned with the girl. I have no right to think she was a cleric now, right after she screamed like that. "My apologies. Please trouble yourself with us no more."

"But... if you're going to have to fight anyway, shouldn't we team up? It will end things faster, right?"

Lyn was getting good at her persuasion skills…

The two mused about the suggestion for a while, until the pink-haired girl, Serra (as the mage called her), nodded, "That's true. Yes! That's a good idea. Erk! Go and help these ladies."

I could tell Erk (as Serra addressed him) wanted to whimper about this. But he couldn't. "But I... Fine!"

Lyn smiled. "Very good. My name's Lyn. This," she patted me lightly on the head, "is Kumi, our tactician. So, tell me, will you join arms with us?"

"Yes, we'd be glad to." Serra returned Lyn's smile. "My name is Serra, This is my escort, Erk," she waved a hand towards the mage. "Be a good boy, and go fight now, Erk."

Erk only sighed again.

"I think it best we go back and help the guys." I reminded Lyn. I learned a lesson by now—don't be distracted in the middle of battle! Kent and the others were still fighting, I can tell…

"Yes, we should." Lyn agreed.

Before we could get a move on, I heard the bushes shuffle.

I turned around and saw a member of those Ganelon bandits behind us.

"Watch out!" Erk ran towards me, Fire book open in his hands, and the next thing I knew was that the bandit was covered in flames.

…I was stunned. Why? I was rescued yet again for the umpteenth time. And then again, I was irked to see the bandit toasted alive in front of me. If I was irked to see swords protruding from flesh, more so with bodies being burned alive.

Thank goodness I didn't become a mage…

"Urgh!" Erk suddenly dropped to the ground, clutching his side.

"Erk!" Lyn and I chorused, and I almost ran to the mage, weren't it for Serra getting beside him before me.

I wanted to sit there beside him, but Serra turned her head towards me, with a glare that said, "He's mine."

I backed away. I didn't want to be involved in this.

"Hello. You're Kumi, right?" Serra suddenly smiled at me. "I'm Serra. Nice to meet you. By the way, Erk was injured a while ago. I think he's been hurt. I am Erk's employer. "Master", I suppose you could say. What I'm getting at is... I was thinking of healing him free of charge. I know, I know. I'm generous to a fault. Hm? Why are you looking at me like that? Praise my generosity!"

…What?

"Lyn, just go ahead to Kent and the others…" I managed to mutter to Lyn. She obeyed.

"Serra, you fool, just get your staff and heal me…" Erk groaned.

Serra shrugged, and she just held her staff—some sort of rod with a crystal-like ball on top of it. "Alright, Erk."

I saw a shallow wound on Erk's side, his mage's robes cut open. A swift axe swing must've done this. Serra placed her staff over the wound, and light radiated from it, and I heard her mutter some sort of prayer—and the wound slowly closed up.

"…Splendid work." I managed to tell Serra.

"Well, of course! Thank you!" Serra immediately stood up, and she ran towards the direction Lyn vanished into, maybe hoping to see more action.

Erk was still on the ground, and I held out my hand to help him up. He took it, and I pulled him up.

He briefly dusted some soil off his cloak, and then he turned to me. "You are Kumi?" he asked, and I nodded, "I am Erk. I'm not sure how I got in this mess."

"Don't worry; it's the same for us." I assured him. "But anyways, we should help the others!" I reminded him and myself. "There are more bandits around!"

When Erk and I ran into the scene, I saw Serra healing a shallow cut on Sain's shoulder. Wil was efficiently hidden in the trees, releasing his deadly arrows from time to time. Kent lunged at another enemy, Dorcas sent another hand axe flying, and Florina and her Pegasus flew past me, ruffling my robes, and lunging her slim lance into an enemy.

Erk jumped into the scene, Fire book open, and he started reciting the incantation for yet another Fire spell.

"How's everything going?" I ran to Lyn, who sliced a bandit across the chest again. Blood spurted around, and I decided to step aside.

It was just a small fight, but it was starting to get… bloody…

I know I should get accustomed to this, but…

"Wil!" I ran past the archer on the tree, and asked him to help me up beside him. He did.

And from my view from the tree, I watched the fight draw to a close, with Lyn pulling her blade from the body of a bandit. I heard the victory theme in the background again.

I jumped off the tree, lost my balance for a short while, but thankfully no one saw that. They were busy catching their breaths, wiping the blood off their clothes or blades, and other things.

"Nicely done, Lyn." I walked towards the Sacaean. "That should just about do it. We don't have to worry about those bandits anymore."

Before she could respond, Serra walked in our direction and said, "What a surprise. You are very strong, Lyn."

Despite being tired, Lyn managed to smile at the cleric's comment. "Your staff is a wondrous thing. Healing powers amaze me."

Serra grinned, nodded, and said, "Only those in the service of good can wield them."

Lyn wiped off the sweat on her forehead, and said, "You helped us tremendously. Thank you. But we have to get going."

Serra understood this. "Take care. Good-bye, Lyn, Kumi."

Lyn nodded. "Fare you well. You, too, Erk."

The mage just glanced at me and Lyn, saying, "Good-bye."

"We can't afford a moment of rest." Kent told me as we were marching to Lycia. He was not riding his horse, as to give the creature some rest. "Lycia is near. We can't waste time by resting now, or else we'll be behind schedule."

"I know." I pointed out. "But aren't you all tired?"

"We'll rest when it gets dark."

What was the point in pushing it? He was a knight—he never showed that he got tired. I let him walked ahead, and Lyn ran to him to chat… Hm… Kent and Lyn, huh? Maybe I should…

I stopped there to think for a while, thinking of some scheme to get back at Lyn for setting me up with Sain (I haven't forgotten that, Lyn!), and in the process, Dorcas, Florina, and Wil walked past me.

…Wait up. Where was Sain?

"Guys!!! Wait for me!!"

I turned my head, and so did the others, to see Sain behind us, dragging his horse, Serra and Erk trailing after him.

He stopped right in front of me, gasping for breath. Serra and Erk were right there behind him.

"Sain?" I questioned him. "Serra? Erk? What is the meaning of this?"

Serra just smiled, and said, in that high-pitched voice of his, "We've decided to travel with you! That's fine, right?"

It was Lyn who answered. "Well, yes, of course."

I turned to Erk. "Are you sure, Erk?"

All he did was walk to me, and whisper, "Yes. As the group's tactician, just do me a favor and don't stick me close to Serra."


	7. Blood of Pride

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER SIX : BLOOD OF PRIDE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_At long last, Lyn arrives in the land of her mother's birth. Lycia is a federation of territories, each one ruled by a powerful marquis. Now, Lyn takes her leave of one of these territories, Araphen, and sets out to meet her grandfather, the marquis of Caelin. However, the marquis's brother, Lundgren, hungers to rule Caelin. He is preparing a deadly welcome for Lyn, who stands to threaten his grasp for power._

_-Kumiko's logbook_

"What city is this?" I heard Lyn ask Sain over my shoulder. I was caught in a conversation with Florina, but I managed to eavesdrop.

"This? This is Araphen. After Ostia, it's the second biggest city in Lycia." Sain replied.

"The second biggest, hm? It does seem awfully busy. By the way, where's Kent?"

"He said he was going ahead to the castle, but... Ah, here he comes now."

I managed to break off from the conversation with Florina, and I walked towards the direction of Lyn. I saw Kent running toward us, and excited expression on his face. Well, as excited as his face would allow. He's always so formal and stiff…

"Milady Lyndis! Let us proceed to the castle. They've prepared supplies for us. The marquis has agreed to aid us on our journey to Caelin." As I thought so, Kent brought good news.

"He's going to help us?"

"Yes," Kent replied with a nod. "Araphen and Caelin have enjoyed a sturdy friendship for many years. Once I informed the marquis of our plight, he agreed to lend us his strength."

"Looks like we've got a smooth road ahead!" Sain exclaimed, and he shot a fist up in the air.

"If we could pick up some soldiers, the road to Caelin would be that much safer. I'm truly sorry for hardships you've suffered so far." Kent seriously told Lyn.

She shook her head. "Don't be silly. You are so capable, Kent."

I was about to chorus in agreement, when Sain immediately protested, "Kent!?"

Lyn giggled, and said, "Oh, and so are you, Sain."

"Of course I am!"

I just giggled at Sain, and I was about to talk to Dorcas or Wil about accompanying me to get maps (the maps I have with me are sooo out of date) when we heard someone scream.

"This is terrible! The castle is burning!!"

Our small party was suddenly alert, and all of a sudden people were running around for their lives, carrying their belongings. I looked towards the direction of the castle, and I saw smoke from it.

Wil ran to a panicked merchant, and halted him in his tracks. "What's happening?"

"Smoke! From the castle!" was all the merchant said, before pulling his cart and running out of our sight.

"This looks like trouble…" I muttered. And then I screamed, "Guys, keep alert! This looks like trouble!"

Florina readily jumped onto her pegasus, Dorcas had a hand on his axe, and so did Wil with his bow. Erk always had a hand on his tome, and Serra pretended to be panicked, as she pestered Erk, asking him what was going on…

"Lady Lyn!" Wil suddenly screamed, and he pulled out his bow and an arrow, and I turned to look why.

I saw a man jump after Lyn, and she screamed. Kent and Sain didn't notice what was going on fast enough because of the panic in the crowd, and I feared for Lyn, almost running there towards her…

Until I saw an arrow pierce right through the man's neck, killing him in an instant.

I turned to Wil, who was shocked as well. I saw that he hasn't released his arrow yet.

I turned back to Lyn, and saw where the arrow came from.

It was a man in Sacaean clothing, mounted on a nomadic horse. He held a bow, and his hair was covered by a bandana…

"Who are—" Lyn turned to her rescuer.

Before the man could answer, Kent and Sain went in front of Lyn, blocking her from the nomadic archer. Of course. He might be another enemy…

"Milady Lyndis! Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. He... This man saved me." Lyn told the two knights, gesturing towards the archer on the horse.

Kent nodded, and he turned to the man, "May I ask your name?"

The man pulled on his horse, and he started to go away.

But I knew Lyn. She wasn't about to just let a man who saved her walk away. "Wait! Why did you help me?"

Without even turning to face Lyn, he answered, "I thought a Sacaean plainswoman was being attacked. I was mistaken."

"No, you were right!" Lyn pushed through between Kent and Sain. "I am from Sacae. I'm Lyn, the daughter of the Lorca chieftain."

And now, the man finally turned to Lyn. He had a somewhat puzzled reaction. "The Lorca? There were survivors?"

"Yes."

He just nodded, and seriously said, "You should leave at once. A blaze has started in the castle, and it's spreading. Don't be foolish and waste the life I just saved.

I ran into the scene, because I was already straining my ears just trying to listen to their conversation from a distance. The town was pretty noisy, with the people evacuating and all that. "You're from the castle?" I immediately asked the man on the horse with the bow. "What's happening? How severe is the fire? Is the marquis safe?"

"The castle is under attack, and the marquis has been accosted. The man who attacked you was probably one of the marauders. As captain of the castle guard, it's my duty to rescue the marquis."

…He was captain of the castle guard? He was a Sacaean… and this was Araphen, in Lycia!

I turned to Lyn, and saw this expression in her face when she has made a decision. "I see... All right then, we'll help you."

I saw Kent and Sain flash a puzzled look at Lyn. I didn't have to do that. Lyn has made her mind.

"Why?"

"These brigands are after me. If they're attacking the castle, it's because of me. So I must help if I can..." Lyn explained.

And the man seemed to understand that Lyn has decided. "It sounds like you're involved somehow... Let's go."

"You'll accept our aid?" Lyn asked for a confirmation.

I saw Kent cast a wary glare at the Sacaean man… Hm, is it… it he being cautious? Or is he jealous…? Hmm…

"I am Rath of the Kutolah." The man introduced, and his gaze was still fixed on Lyn. "Our tribes may be different, but I will not abandon a woman of the Sacae."

"Thank you, Rath!" judging from Lyn's expression, I could bet she wanted to jump up. "A thousand blessings upon you!"

The next thing I knew was that Rath was leading the way, leading us to the castle. I asked him about the easiest route we can take to the marquis…

"Once the marquis is safe, my men can move in. Perhaps the secret passageway..."

"Secret passageway?" I mused aloud.

"An underground tunnel leading to the throne room. There are triggers in the barracks that will open the tunnel."

"Head through the passage to the throne room... and rescue the marquis. Once that's done, can you drive the enemy from the castle?" I inquired, making sure to remember what he was saying.

"Mmm... If we can release those triggers, my men and I can handle the rest. There are three triggers, though. All three need to be released, or the entrance won't open."

"But the doors to the barracks are locked." I pointed out, as Kent has informed me about the locks earlier.

"The enemy's within. If we don't get inside and finish them, we're stuck." Rath pointed out.

So opening those doors is our first objective…

How to open doors… Hmm… well, we'd definitely need tools to open them, such as fake keys sold in some shops that might work on the locks. Aside from that, lockpicks would work…in the hands of a skilled thief. I know how to use lockpicks… my friend from the Tactician Guild taught me of it when she was bored. She was training to be a professional spy, so she had to have knowledge of those stuff…

But we had no tools, or no thief in our party. Thief meaning the guys who are skilled with their hands and pilfering stuff. It's actually a profession. But I do know that there's no petty thief around our party—I haven't lost my money or our food stocks or something.

"What shall we do, Kumi? We don't have any keys with us." Lyn asked me, a hint of being worried in her voice.

"Let's hope the enemies are carrying the keys." I told her. "And I could run around town to find tools or something."

"Will you be fine?" Lyn asked me, and it's good to know that she's concerned at me.

I just noticed then that I was being serious, which was unlikely me. I pulled on a smile, and said, "Of course I'm fine! It's just a walk around houses and stuff. You're the one who should be worried for your sake. I'm not actually risking my neck to fight, you know."

She patted me lightly on the shoulder, and she just nodded, with a smile.

I ran to Kent, and gave him my orders. "Kent, I'm just going off town to find a way to open the barrack doors. Please split the party equally and fight the marauders that are outside the castle. I'll be back shortly."

"Will you be fine?"

"Of course," my words faded away as I ran off.

The chaos was still present in the castle town as I ran around, but it was less than earlier. I passed through a house, and then I heard someone call out, "Hey, you! Can I talk to you?"

I turned around, and figured that the voice came from that house. I looked into the huge open window, and suddenly---a forced grabbed me by my clothes and flung me inside.

"Oww…" I scratched my head, which I lightly bumped as I landed on the wooden floor.

I saw a young man crouching beside me, finger over his lip, as if telling me to be quiet. He had blonde hair and a red cloak, and this grin plastered to his face.

I saw the dagger on his belt shimmer from the light coming from the window. I took caution, and I backed away from him, but my back hit the wall.

"Who are you?" I asked, not sure if my voice was shivering or something.

His smirk was starting to get to me. Still, he properly introduced himself. "I'm Matthew, a specialist in acquisitions of all kinds. Would you like to buy my services?"

_Acquisitions of all kinds…?_

My eyes fell onto his belt, with a few of his tools strapped onto it. Aside from the dagger, I recognized the tools my friend used to pry open locks and such…

"I've no need for a thief." I told him. I might have lied.

He raised an eyebrow, and went, "Really? And how do you plan on opening the barrack doors?"

"What? How did you know about—"

"Bull's-eye!" He exclaimed in triumph.

I stared at him, maybe in a bad way. Ah, thieves… they are so… so…

He might have read my expression, so he put a hand over my head and patted it. Great. He messed up my hair. "Don't be mad," he somewhat looked apologetic. "Hire me. For you, I'll even lower my normal rate."

I pulled his hand off my head, and I said, "I can use lockpicks. Just give me yours."

To this, he somewhat looked shocked, but then the smirk was back again as he flung an arm around me. And we were still sitting on the floor. "Aww! You're a thief, too! Well, my dear, you have to steal my lockpicks from me, I'm afraid, if you need them."

"I am not a thief!" I pushed his arm away, and I stood up, brushing the dirt off my skirt. "I am just so weak and I can't fight, so I have to learn other things to be useful… and I'm a tactician, not a thief."

He got up too, and insisted. "C'mon. Hire me."

I sighed. It wasn't me who was going to pay him, anyways… It would probably be House Caelin after Lyn sees her grandfather again… And didn't I just say something about needing more manpower? If soldiers from Araphen helped us, I doubt they'd have a thief…

"Well," I began, "You're hired. But if you just need money, you shouldn't ally with us. We won't be able to pay you immediately."

"Hm?" He looked a little puzzled with my suggestion. But he just shrugged and said, "I was watching the battle from up above. Your group looked like a lot more fun than the dead guy. Pretty simple, really."

"You're so odd." I told him.

He just flashed his cute boyish grin at me, and said, "Maybe. C'mon, Kumi! It's time to get to work!"

He ran off before I could realize… how did he know my name?!

"Hey!! Matthew! Matt!!"

I arrived at the castle the catch a glimpse of an enemy running away after his coat tails caught fire, undoubtedly from Erk's Fire spell. I approached Kent, Lyn, Erk, Serra, and Rath, who were all eyes on Matthew, who was working the locks of the main door.

"Kumi!" Lyn saw me, and she said, "thank goodness you're alright."

I almost didn't notice Lyn's words, for my eyes were also glued to Matthew, who was trying to get the door open. He twisted and turned his lockpick in the keyhole, pulled the lockpick out and adjusted it a little, tried it again, and a triumphant 'clink' was heard. Matt tried to push the door open, but soon he was shoved aside by Kent and Rath who did a much better job of opening the huge double doors.

Matt muttered something under his breath, probably due to annoyance.

There was no time for words, because the group rushed into the castle, charging at the enemies inside. I decided to keep a low profile, staying by the front door, and pretty soon Dorcas, Wil, Florina, and Sain ran into the castle as well, finishing their task with the enemies outside.

It took me a while to notice Matt behind me, whistling to himself, as his lockpicks make small clanging sounds as he played with them.

"Matt, make yourself useful, and go fight with them." I ordered.

He raised an eyebrow. "Huh? I _am_ making myself useful. I'm keeping watch over you, O Lady Tactician."

I raised an eyebrow back at him.

"I'm a thief, not a warrior or a knight." He said, like that explained everything.

I was about to tell him that he was getting paid, so he aught to make use of himself, when he suddenly looked distant due to some sight from afar…

"Cripes," I heard him mutter, "Not that woman again…"

I tried to figure what caught his eye, "Matt?"

He blinked, shook his head, and then he suddenly jumped.

"Hey! Unless my eyes deceive me, that's a chest!" He jumped up again, his face wearing the expression thieves tend to get when you talk of treasure and the possibility of swiping it. "Say, Kumi," he tugged on my cloak, "since we came all this way, what say we help ourselves?"

I was not about to rob Castle Araphen and its duke, who might help us in this journey later. I told him a very stern, "No."

He rolled his eyes, "Huh? What do you mean, 'No'? Don't be such a bore," he reasoned, "If you want to win, you've got to use every means at your disposal. That's an ironclad rule!"

"But stealing is—"

"Yeah, I know stealing's bad." He cut my words before I could finish. "I'm well aware of that. We're saving the marquis, right? Let's just call this an advance on our reward, OK?"

…When he puts it that way, it sounds justified and reasonable…

But…

"Alright, alright…" Matt waves his hands in… disappointment, maybe. "I'm under your command, Kumi. Pity about the treasure, though. The enemies will just take them. Worse, they'll just burn in the fire…"

When he was about to walk away (I think), I tugged on his red cloak and he turned to me.

"Alright, we can swipe the treasure."

The smirk returned to his face, wider than I've ever seen it. All he did was cheer, "Hurrah! Treasure time! Treasure time!"

That was all that was said. He and I ran to the interior of the castle, where a battle between Lyndis' Legion and those enemies were still taking place. And shoot, the treasure chest was conveniently placed between all that fighting.

I almost ran into Sain's horse running toward the chest, but Matt evaded the obstacles around swiftly, even ducking out of a sword's way as he ran to the chest. What agility…

I knelt next to him as he took out his tools from a leather pouch, taking out a lockpick once again, and picking the keyhole of the chest. He sometimes pressed his ears against the chest while he turned his lockpicks, maybe he's searching for a sound of some sort…?

"Aaaahhh! Kumi, watch out!!!"

The shriek was undoubtedly Serra's voice, and I turned around to see my life threatened by a swordsman, sword ready to attack me. In a split second I felt a pair of arms embrace me and drag me away from the danger. It was Matt, pulling away from the treasure chest himself.

I evaded danger, and then I turned to the enemy swordsman—who now had a number of projectiles stuck in his body. He had an arrow through his neck and one through his chest, (perhaps Rath and Wil hit him at the same time) and I saw Erk about to cast another Fire spell, only to realize the man was dead and it was useless.

I was rescued yet again. In this instance, by Serra, Wil, Rath, Matt, and almost Erk as well.

The man fell lying dead right beside the chest, and I shriveled my face in disgust. Matt just focused back on the chest, and I pushed him, "Matt, can't you go any faster?"

I heard the lock give as satisfying 'clink' as it opened, and he said, "There you go. Your wish is my command."

He pulled out the content of the chest—an armorslayer.

"An armorslayer!" Matt exclaimed, "Just as the name suggests, armorslayers are useful against knights in armor. You want to know something?" He talked on and on, "You need to give weapons to those who can wield them. Otherwise, it's just a waste of a perfectly good weapon. Take this blade, I mean. I can use it, but... I'm not too strong, and... I just hate being counterattacked. Anyway, think strategically about who you wipe weapons to."

Annoyed with the advice I didn't need, I said, "Yes, O Master Tactician!"

He suddenly just laughed. He must've forgotten my role on this army. "Right, right. Sorry."

"Hold on to that armorslayer for the while," I said, "until later, I'll give it to Lyn or Sain. And don't think about stealing it!"

I think he was about to come up with some annoying reply that these thieves tend to give, but it was interrupted by Florina's tiny voice screaming, "Lyn! Here it is! We've opened the secret passage!"

Lyn, Kent, Sain and I went down the passage to meet with Marquis Araphen, guided by Rath, after we secured that he was safe. It seems like Rath's men had put off the fire, too. We walked down an old, narrow passage which led us to the marquis' bedchambers…

And there was Marquis Araphen, seated comfortably on a red sofa, and he stood up to acknowledge our presence. The secret passage actually opened up into a wall of his room.

"Ah, it's Rath! You've done well. What a performance!" He greeted his Captain of the Guard.

"Sir... If you have praise, it should be given to this group." Rath gave a nod towards our direction.

"Hm? Who are you?"

Lyn stepped forward to introduce herself. "My name is Lyndis. I'm pleased you're well."

I could swear I saw the marquis' face… change, or something like that. "Oh... It's you," he spoke with an odd tone to his voice. "You're Marquis Caelin's---Leave us, Rath. I would speak with this girl."

Without a word, Rath left, though the door this time.

"Now... Lady Lyndis," the marquis got down to business. "Do you know the identity of those responsible for this uproar?"

"I believe it to be the work of my granduncle, Lundgren." Lyn honestly answered.

The marquis sighed. "That's exactly right. Which means my castle has been damaged in your family's petty inheritance dispute."

Lyn seemed taken aback, and so was Sain. But the marquis was right… we dragged Araphen into this trouble…

"My-My apologies..." Lyn mumbled.

"When I heard that Lady Madelyn's daughter was in trouble, I thought to lend my assistance... I find I've changed my mind. I withdraw my offer."

We all sharply turned to the marquis, even Kent. In fact, Kent protested, "Marquis Araphen! You gave me your word, my lord!"

"Your name is Kent, is it not? You failed to inform me of one most vital detail!"

"What... What do you mean?" Kent seemed puzzled. I was as well.

"This girl does resemble Lady Madelyn, but... I didn't expect to see her so tainted with the blood of Sacae."

…Was that an offensive statement against Lyn's heritage…?

Oh, he's gonna get it…

"What?!?" as I thought, Lyn seemed shocked at this.

Marquis Araphen continued still, "Don't you feel the marquis of Caelin would be troubled to meet this... nomadic mongrel?"

"You--!" Sain was angered himself, to the point he held onto the hilt of the blade attached to his belt.

I swear he could've cut the marquis down that instant, weren't it for Kent stopping him. "Sain! Hold!" Kent held an arm out before Sain, "My apologies, my lord Marquis."

All he did was raise his chin at us in an arrogant way. Ugh, he's getting on my nerves as well… "Hm... Your man is poorly disciplined." He even remarked.

"Marquis Araphen! Please... If you would grace us with your aid..." Kent almost sounded like he was pleading.

"...I hear Marquis Caelin is ill and abed. I question whether he will survive to meet this girl. In which case, his brother, Lundgren, will claim his title. And I certainly wish to avoid trouble with the coming marquis."

"You scheming—"

"Sain!" Lyn prevented the rest of Sain's statements, "Sain! I understand. Kent, Sain, Kumi, we take our leave at once."

"Milady Lyndis! We—" Kent tried to tell Lyn that we will need the marquis' help. But I know Lyn. She won't stoop to that level…

"I am proud of the Sacae blood that runs through my veins." Lyn snapped at Kent, "I will NOT accept aid from one who disparages my heritage."

Kent just nodded, and with that, we took to the door, Sain cursing under his breath, and for proper measure, I made sure to slam the door behind us as hard as I could.

"Very well done, Lyn," I praised her as we were walking away from the castle.

Sain nodded in agreement to my words. "The marquis is a lout. Don't worry about anything. We're all here for you! Isn't that so, Kent?"

But Kent didn't seem as happy as us. He whispered to Lyn, "I beg your forgiveness."

She shook her head, as if she didn't understand. "Why are you apologizing, Kent?"

"I've been so concerned with seeing you to Caelin. I failed to take your feelings into account."

She just smiled. "Is that it? Trouble yourself no more. You have put my safety above all else. I have seen that... Hold your head up and be proud."

After that exhausting fight, our group managed to march a little, and we made camp that evening in a forest not too far from Araphen. We could've stayed in Araphen in an inn, but I figured Lyn wanted to get away from that place as much as she could. I understand. At first I had problems with Serra when I told her that we were going, but we eventually got her to quiet down a little on Sain's horse, and when Sain chatted her up. Serra is just so loud sometimes. And Sain could actually prove useful sometimes…

That night in camp, I approached Matt, who was lying on the soft grass, looking up the skies, quite relaxed.

"Matt?" I loomed over him. "Where is the armorslayer I asked you to hang on to?"

He blinked at me. "…What armorslayer?"

Oh, I thought so…

I put a hand on my hip. "The one we got from the castle treasury. I remember we got an Angelic Robe too, and I decided to give that one to you. But not the armorslayer. C'mon, Matt, pull it out."

He got up, held his hands and his cloak up, to show that he didn't have the sword in his entirety.

"Matthew," I said in a no-nonsense voice.

He knew what I meant, so all of a sudden, he produced the armorslayer out of thin air.

How in the heck--?

"I hear and obey," He handed the sword to me, and I just decided to walk away.

…He is soo weird…

I gave the sword to Sain. I had to hit him on the head before I could snap him from talking (flirting, maybe) with Serra. He graciously took the sword and almost lunged at me to embrace me, but I backed away in time.

Lyn and Florina were chatting by the fire that was set up. Kent was brushing his horse. Dorcas seems to have gone off to buy food. Erk was in a corner, reading a book, and I didn't want to bother him. I found Wil sharpening his arrowheads, so I sat beside him by the fire.

"Oh, Kumi," he greeted me. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Wil," I replied, as I took out my logbook from my bag, and also a quilt.

"You sure scared me again today. I thought you were a goner."

Oh. He means the incident in the castle. "I'm sorry, Wil. I'm not a warrior of any kind, but I feel I have to be in the battlefield with you guys."

He nodded, and I added, "Well, thanks for saving me, Wil."

He shrugged. "No problem, Kumi. I'll look out for you when I can."

Just when I was about to write at my journal, Wil added, "You know, that Rath guy's something, too. He's an awesome archer."

I only nodded, and I started writing.

_The captain of the marquis's guard is a fellow named Rath... I've heard tell that he's a nomad from the plains of Sacae. Odd, considering how the marquis so obviously hates the nomads. I guess the marquis is pleased to have a nomad under his control. The ways of aristocrats are beyond my comprehension…_

Just then, we all heard the sound of horse hooves…

And around the bushes, we saw Rath.

"Rath!" Lyn shrieked. "WHAT IS IT? What are you—"

Rath was holding his horse by its reins behind him, and he calmly explained, "I overheard the marquis talking to himself. Lyn of the Lorca... Proud daughter of the Sacae... I would join you. I would add my strength to yours."

Lyn just blinked in disbelief. I think most of us did.

He approached us, and handed a pouch to Lyn. "And this... I want you to take it."

She opened the leather pouch, and her eyes widened at what she saw inside. "This is... Gold!? It's too much. I can't accept it."

"I have no need for it. And if it will help you..."

"But..."

"If you don't want it, I can have it," I heard Matt whisper to himself.

"I cannot take back something once offered." Rath solidly told Lyn.

And she understood this. "Rath... I thank you."

So we welcomed Rath to our group, and soon we went to sleep. I slept beside Florina, with Matt on my other side, so I kinda didn't sleep for fear of my stuff suddenly vanishing the next morning. But I found Kent and Dorcas awake, probably trying to keep watch, so I didn't have to worry…


	8. Siblings Abroad

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER SEVEN : SIBLINGS ABROAD

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Lyn takes her leave of Araphen, finding no aid from its spiteful marquis. Now, she and her companions resume their march toward Caelin in earnest. Racing against time, with here grandfather's life the price. Harried and impatient, Lyn presses onward. Suddenly a young boy appears and pleads for their assistance._

_-Kumiko's Logbook_

"Where are we, Kent?"

Our group had managed to find and inn, and Kent, Lyn, Sain and I were seated together on a table. The others were scattered around, some sleeping, some eating on other tables. Kent had a map laid out before us, and Lyn was the one who inquired of our location.

"This is Kathalet," I pointed to our current location on the map, "If we head south, we'll pass into Caelin. Isn't that so, Kent?"

Kent only nodded.

"From here, I'd say we're about ten days' ride to Castle Caelin," Sain said, as he was peeling an orange. He added, "assuming we don't run into any delays, of course."

"Ten days..." Lyn muttered.

"That is the minimum, Lyn," I told her, "We can only pray your grandfather endure his illness until we get there…"

Lyn only gave a contemplative nod, and I was starting to think up a way to get to Caelin faster. Due to trouble with the bandits, we've been behind schedule… well, the problem with the bandits has been gone, but we'll probably be dealing with Lundgren, Lyn's granduncle, and his troops next.

In the middle of my thoughts, a little boy approached us, with pale-colored hair and odd red eyes. He had a flute strapped to his belt—he must be a minstrel…?

"Pardon me, but..." he began.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Lyn turned to the boy.

The boy cast a glance at us, and the others. He looked hesitant, but he still asked, "You and your friends... Are you mercenaries?"

"And if we are?" I snapped. I know, I'm always one to be critical of people…

The hesitant look has changed into a desperately pleading one. "I need your help!"

The three of us turned to Lyn, who makes all our decisions. I felt that she felt sympathy for the child…

"Milady Lyndis, you mustn't let your guard down. Not even for a child," Kent was cautious.

Lyn turned to Kent, whispering, "I know," She turned back to the boy, and apologized, "Forgive me, but we're in a hurry. Is there someone else you can ask?"

The boy was starting to look more panicked every second. "There's not time!" he pressed, "Ninian's been... It's my sister! Some men have taken her away!"

I literally saw Sain jerk up from his seat at the mention of 'sister'. "Your sister? Did you say your sister's been accosted?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Sain..." Kent groaned again, and I think he could've hit Sain on the head if the boy weren't there.

"That's right!" The boy slightly jumped up, seeing that he was finally getting some sympathy. "By some cruel, awful men. I don't know what I'll do without Ninian…"

"Milady Lyndis! We must help him!" Sain insisted.

"Nonsense! We haven't the time!" Kent argued, "If the marquis is as ill as we've heard, we must proceed!"

I turned to Lyn. She was, after all, Lady Lyndis of Caelin, and all decisions come from her…

"Kent, I... I want to help this child."

I thought so.

"Milady?" Kent seemed puzzled at the decision.

"I'm worried about my grandfather, of course," Lyn explained, "But this! I cannot stand by and let a child be taken from her home!"

Kent just gave an understanding nod, "I see..."

"I'm sorry, Kent," she apologized.

And he shook his head, "I'm your loyal retainer. You owe me no apologies. You must do as your heart dictates, milady. I will follow you, no matter where that may lead."

"Thank you," Lyn mumbled.

"Hah! Such a noble speech!" Sain scoffed, "Ever the true knight, that one! Ah, well…" he turned back to the boy, "You're in luck, laddie! Let's go get your sister!"

"Will you lead us to the men who've done this?" I asked.

He gave me a nod, "Uh huh. They're really tough, so be careful."

"Leave them to us. We're pretty tough ourselves," Lyn bragged, "Right, Kumi?"

I nodded, and I started mobilizing the group. I hated to wake up Florina and Wil from their naps, but we had to. Later I found the boy's name was Nils.

We walked out of the inn, Kent, Sain, Florina, and Rath already on their mounts. Even Nils went with us, and Lyn kept a close watch over the boy. I was peering at a map of the vicinity that we managed to get from the inn.

"So his sister was taken to the fort south of here…" I wondered aloud as we marched, "There's no direct path to it, since it's divided by a mountain… our only option is to circle the mountains and…"

"Hey, Kumi!"

Before I could turn to see who called me, I found two hands grasp me by the shoulders, and pull me from my current position.

"M-Matt!" I turned around to see the thief holding me yet again. I looked in front of me, and I saw a black-clad man, holding out a black tome. With him were a couple more enemies—a swordsman and an axe-user.

"Geez, Kumi, you're really alert, huh?" Matt teased me. Oooh, that thief…!

I pulled my mind away from the thief, and I saw the action has already began. Erk immediately flipped open his Fire tome, and I saw his eyes glow… and this force blew his cape…

Lyn cut down the swordsman with ease, and I was shocked to see Matt fighting with the axe-user. Matt is just too fast to be hit by an axe, so easily killed the man by slitting his neck.

"That was easy," Matt grinned, as he twirled a money pouch between his fingers. Maybe he swiped that from the enemy.

I saw the black-clad man being burnt to his death, so I figured to pull my eyes from the sight. It wasn't pleasing, you know…

"He is a shaman," Erk explained. "They are magic practitioners of the dark arts. They are rather slow, but once you get hit, you will literally feel the life drained from you. Be wary of them."

"Wait!"

Our group turned around to see a woman running after us. The rear guard of our team was consisted of Sain and Dorcas. The woman was beautiful, with long, blonde hair and porcelain fair face, beautiful blue eyes… I saw Sain's eyes widen in surprise. I thought he was gonna drool…

"Who goes there?!" Lyn was surprised, so it was normal for her to react like that.

"Oh!" the woman was taken aback. "Please forgive me. I never meant to startle you."

I saw her holding onto a pristine white tome. Huh? Maybe she's…

"Your robes... They look like religious vestiary," Lyn took note of the person's light-blue robes that fell to the ankle. "Are you an Elimine bishop?"

"Yes... Well, no. I'm only an acolyte, an Elimine monk, to be specific. My name's Lucius."

I thought so… monk… she is… a he…

"WHAT?!" Sain erupted. "You're a monk? A man?!"

"Do you have business with us?" Lyn followed with her question.

Lucius ignored Sain's question, and turned to Lyn, "I was at the inn when this child came seeking help. The innkeeper was afraid to get involved. He was... unpleasant. May I please lend you my services? I truly wish to help the boy. If only a little."

"Of course," Lyn was quick to trust a member of the Elimine church.

"Thank you very much. The blessings of St. Elimine be upon you."

For a second there, I caught Serra glance at Lucius. She had a bad look on her face. Miraculously, Serra was silent for a long while…

We continued the march to the fort, and with Erk walking beside me, he felt the need to explain, "Monks are users of the magic of light. Those who wield magic are highly attuned to its flow, so they have a high

magic resistance. Units with high magic resistances can reduce the damage caused by magical attacks. When magic users battle each other, they often find it hard to inflict damage. The light magic of monks is strong against the dark magic favored by shamans. Lucius should come in handy here, if there are more shamans like before."

"I see," I pretended to muse, "You should be a tactician, Erk."

He just smiled, but only for a second. "Hah. Kumiko, don't feign it. You already knew what I was talking about, right?"

I nodded. "Yes. I am well versed in books, but I'm afraid I lack experience. I've never even seen magic before, not until now…"

"Well, I'd gladly demonstrate for you sometime. Though I know for fact that you've seen my magic often by now."

"That's wonderful, Erk! I would gladly appreciate it."

"HEY!" I saw Matt running towards us. Everyone else threw looks at him, but he ran towards me in particular, "I got you some awesome information, Kumiko."

"Yes?"

"The boss is a shaman. There's not much enemies left, only…" he took the map from my pouch, and pointed to an area, by the bridge, "around here. Nothing we can't handle."

I was too glad about the data that I almost hugged Matt. "Oh, Matt! You went ahead to scout! You are soooo cool!"

He just shrugged, as if meaning to say that it wasn't much. Oh, I knew it was much… though Matt is pretty light on his feet, what if the enemies spot him and gang up on him? He took a risk…

I decided I'd have to thank him later, and I turned to the group to tell them the good news. I think everyone was so ecstatic that we sliced through the enemies like butter, and we got to the fort fast…

"Lucius! Attack the shaman!" I ordered, and the monk followed, as he held his hand onto his Lightning tome and prayed, and shot lightning at the shaman. The shaman fainted…

"Of course. Light magic of the monks rarely kill," Erk beside me said, as he slapped a palm to his forehead. "It is, after all, a Divine magic, and it chooses who to spare or not…"

But before I could react to Erk's statements, I found that Rath flung an arrow to the enemy boss, hitting him clear on his head.

…I shuddered. I couldn't help it.

The others ran into the fort to look for Nil's sister, but I preferred to stay outside for a while.

Rath rode up to beside me, and he got down his horse and remarked, "You aren't used to violence, are you?"

I sighed, "You're right… I'd prefer negotiation."

"Then why did you become a tactician?"

"Being involved in the military," I replied, "is the only way to live in Bern."

He said nothing, and he led his horse to the fort as well, leaving me behind.

I saw Matt by the fort gate, examining the corpse of the shaman boss.

I rolled my eyes as I approached him, "Grave robber."

He looked up to me, and said, "C'mon, I'm not stooping to that level. It's no fun stealing from dead people."

"Then what are you doing?"

He pulled up the sleeve of the shaman, and he revealed that the corpse's arm has a tattoo of some kind on it…

"That's quite a group that Nils and his sister has got themselves involved in," he said, "You do know we're facing the Black Fang, right? Anyone they target winds up... Well, you know. No one escapes the Fang! …That's what they say, anyway."

"…Black Fang…" I muttered. They were a group of assassins from my country, Bern…

But more importantly, I realized what Matt said, "How could you know that I know about Black Fang?"

"You're from Bern, right? I figured you'd know about the group."

"And how can YOU know about them?"

"I told you, I'm skilled with acquisitions of all kinds."

"Rrrrright," I remarked. Then I pulled on his cloak, and said, "We'd better go in, too."

"You go on ahead."

I decided to just leave Matt there. He was probably gonna steal from the dead shaman while I wasn't looking. In the fort, the scene I arrived to was something short of chaos. Lyn was looking for Nil's sister, and the young bard was almost wailing. The others might have been looking, too, in some other parts of the fort.

"Ninian! Ninian..." Nils called, "She's not here. Why? Where could she be?"

"My lady Lyndis! A villager spotted a group of men riding south." Kent reported.

And with him was Sain, who concluded, "The boy's dear sister... They must have her!"

"Come! We must give chase!" Lyn commanded, determined to help Nils.

"But... But..." Nils already looked teary-eyed, "We won't make it! What if they've already..."

"Are you looking for this girl here?"

We turned around to see where the voice came from. Out came from the corner of the hallway was a young man with red-brown hair, in what looked to me like royal blue robes, and he was holding in his arms a young woman with pale-green hair like Nils…

"Ninian! Ninian!" Nils ran towards the man, and as I figured, the girl was probably his sister.

"She'll be fine," the man assured us, "She's just lost consciousness."

"Who are you?" Lyn inquired.

"I'm Eliwood, of Pherae," he introduced himself as he settled Ninian nicely on the floor, having her lean against the wall. Nils immediately came for his sister. Eliwood then added, "My father is the marquis."

I see… Another lordling…

"The marquis's son…" I heard Lyn whisper.

"She was with a band of ruffians," Eliwood explained, "She seemed upset. She looked in need of rescuing... Was I wrong to involve myself?"

Lyn shook her head, "No, you saved her life. Thank you. My name is Lyn. I'm from Sacae. I'm Marquis Caelin's granddaughter."

Eliwood put on a puzzled look, "Marquis Caelin?"

Sain and Kent checked on Ninian, while Lyn and I took turns explaining the situation to Sir Eliwood.

"And that's my story," Lyn said when finished her tale, "It's not an easy tale to believe, I know..."

But Sir Eliwood just had a smiled, as he shook his head, "No. I do believe you. At first glance, all I saw was a daughter of the plainsfolk. Now I can see it, though. You have your grandfather's eyes."

To this, Lyn looked surprised, "Do you know my grandfather?"

He nodded, "The marquis, Lord Hausen, is my father's good friend. I also know that the proud people of Sacae tell no lies. It's true, isn't it?"

"Yes..." Lyn confirmed, "Thank you. I would not have expected any Lycian noble to be so courteous to a Sacaean nomad."

"You seemed to be in trouble. May I be of assistance?" Sir Eliwood offered.

"Thank you," Lyn said, "This is my problem, though, and I'll deal with it."

Eliwood didn't feel offended; he just gave a nod, "I see. I'll be in the area for a few days longer. If you need anything, please let me know. Lyndis, I'm on your side."

"Eliwood... Thank you."

Sir Eliwood left the area for a while, perhaps to wander the fort. I believe, that Eliwood, being a lord and all, probably has some troops or vassals with him in the fort that needed attending as well.

"Ninian! Are you awake?" I heard the worried voice of Nils, as he shook his sister gently. Lyn, Sain, and Kent were peering at her. I didn't want to join in, so instead I went to see what the others were doing. I found them in an inner courtyard of the fort.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked the group.

And when I asked that, Florina spoke, with a little shiver, "Uhm… Kumi? I… Do we have more carrots for my pegasus?"

"I don't think so… go ask Kent later."

"Kumi, when and how do you think will I be able to send money to Natalie?" Dorcas followed with his question.

"Dorcas, maybe we can hire a messenger, but I doubt they'd be trust—"

Before I could finish asking, Serra edged to me, and she pushed her heal staff to my face. Ouch. "Kumi! My heal staff is on the brink of breaking! You see, there's this small crack here! I so need a new staff! When can we get one? Kumi? Kumi! Are you listening? Don't you see the crack? Look at it!"

I pushed the staff away from my face, "Yes, Serra, I see it. We'll get you a new one at the next shop. And Matthew? Matthew, no!" I saw the thief attempting to take something from the saddlebag attached to Sain's horse—my logbook, "Don't dare touch--!"

I ran for Matthew, and I saw Erk, Rath, Lucius, and Wil look at me with pity. Yes, I need Lady Lyn and Kent to put some order to this group. Serra turned to Erk to bug him. Now I was the one who pitied Erk.

I tiptoed to reach the logbook that Matthew was holding up his head. He taunted me, teasing me to try to reach it, so with a jump, I got the black logbook. Yes!

He was about to get it from me again, but I managed to hold him by the wrist, and I saw a small wound on his hand. Just a small cut, but it was there. With a devious grin, I yelled, "Serra! Get over here and heal Matthew!"

I heard Erk sigh a sigh of relief, and Matthew gasped. He was about to do something probably bad to me, when Serra ran to him and began bugging him. Ha ha! Safe!

"Kumiko, you just saved me from the thought of slitting my wrist," Erk thanked me as I passed by him. I just smiled at him.

I approached Lucius, who was doing particularly nothing, "Lucius."

"Oh!" the monk turned to me, "You are… Kumiko, right?"

I nodded, "Yes. I want to thank you for your aid in behalf of Lady Lyn and the group."

"Oh, please. I thank you as well. I merely wanted a chance to help the boy."

After a while, I asked, "Where will you go from now?"

When he couldn't answer for a while, I offered, "Would you like to travel with us? We're always looking for more allies."

He smiled, making him look more like a beautiful woman. His beauty even rivals Lyn's… "Oh, I'd be pleased to take the offer. I will go with you."

After a few more words with Lucius, and after Florina asked me to go to a bathroom with her, I decided to flip open my logbook and inquired what everyone needs for the journey. We definitely need the carrots for the pegasus, Erk said something about wanting a new Fire tome, and there was Serra's staff. Rath and Wil could use more arrows as well… ah, and I want more ink.

Later Lyn, Sain, and Kent arrived with Nils and his sister Ninian. Lyn told me the two were traveling with us from now on… I figured…

While we were preparing to depart, I overhead a conversation of Nils and Ninian.

"What's wrong, Ninian?"

"I've lost my ring."

"Your ring?"—that was Lyn's voice.

"Not Ninis's Grace?"

"The very one."

"They stole it? Those curs!!!"

"Was it valuable?"

"It was a keepsake from our departed mother."

"It was blessed by the spirit of Ninis... There's no other like it in the world. And now we have lost it to those villains. There's nothing we can do."

"You're right."

I was busy tabulating the stuff we need to buy and our expenses, but I managed to glance at Lyn. Hmm, something tells me…

"Can I talk to you, Kumi?" Lyn approached me, and sat beside me on this stone bench. "You heard all of that, right? What do you think? I'd really love to retrieve Ninian's ring for her. But if Nils is right, those thieves might prove to be too strong for us. What should we do?"

"Lyn," I began, "You do know that if we retrieve the ring, our travel to Caelin will be behind schedule by a day or so. But if you want to help the siblings badly, then I can't do anything. Lyn, I am a strategist by trade. Or at least I'm training to be. And with the way things are right now, you're my employer. You can choose what you want to do, and I'll do my best so that we'd accomplish it. Alright?"

"So… you won't be mad if I choose to help them?"

I shook my head, "Not at all, Lyn."

Lyn seemed to be overjoyed, "You want to help them? That's great! I was hoping you'd say that, Kumi," Then she turned to the group, "Kent! Sain! Everyone! Those men were headed south. We must give pursuit!"

---

A/N: I decided to go to 7x because… I dunno. I found something useful for Matthew to do. I hope I'm improving. :D


	9. The Black Shadow

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER SEVEN X : THE BLACK SHADOW**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_A mysterious group seems hell-bent on capturing Nils and Ninian... Having failed, this group, the Black Fang, flees. Rumor has them traveling southwest. Lyn and her colleagues follow in hopes of recovering a lost heirloom. The Black Fang have made a stronghold of an abandoned castle in Khathelet. Its dark halls are alive with shadowy figures..._

_-Kumiko's logbook_

"_I believe they went in here."_

"_Milady, are you really going in there to get the ring back?"_

"_Yes, we are."_

"_But this is their stronghold! They're bound to be well defended, not to mention well armed!"_

"_Please forget about the ring. It's OK..."_

"_Kumi's agreed to attempt this... recovery. I wouldn't be here if not for that. Kumi believes we can do this. I'm sure that decision was not made lightly. With Kumi at my side, I'm confident we can win. Let's get your ring back, Ninian."_

"_Milady..."_

"Matt," I spoke to the thief, in a really serious manner, "You sure you know what you're going to do?"

"Yes," he nodded firmly, "now take your hand off my arm so I can leave."

I was clinging to his arm, and I wasn't about to let go of it just yet. "If you know what to do, then tell me."

He sighed, but he answered, "I'm on espionage. I enter the stronghold, evaluate the enemies, if possible, make a map of the area in my head, then report back to you."

"And do it unnoticed, and come back alive," I sternly added, "Don't take any stupid risks, Matt. Just evaluate the place."

"Yes. Yes already," He pushed me off him quite abruptly, only to apologize about it, "…Sorry, Kumi. But don't you have confidence in me? I'm the greatest thief I know of! I won't die on just walking into some old castle."

"Matt…"

"And stop calling me Matt," he snapped, "Matthew, okay? Kumi, don't worry… you'd better let me go now so we can finish the job fast…"

"They're Black Fang, Matt… And my reputation as a tactician is on the line…"

For a second there, I saw his face fell. But it was just a second. Did I say something…?

"I said 'Matthew'," he repeated, now with that mischievous look he usually has in his face again, "And so what if they're from the Fang? Sneaking is my profession. I can't fail at it. Trust me."

He headed out, but I called out, "Wait, Matt! Did I say something wrong?"

"Oh, no…" he replied, as he walked away, not bothering to face me, "I just thought you were concerned for my welfare, but you were concerned for your reputation…"

…What?

I was about to ask him to clarify what he meant, but he was gone, as quick as that.

"Do you think Matt likes me…?" I mumbled to Lyn as we were waiting for the thief to get back.

"What?" she barely understood what I said, "Speak clearly and loudly, Kumi."

"…Nothing," I lied. Well… I can't just go assuming he likes me with a simple statement, right? He's just being sarcastic or something… and assumptions are assumptions and will remain that way until proven correct. Right…? Right?

Speaking of the thief, the blonde ran to us, red cloak whipping in the air, his footsteps making no sound at all. If I couldn't see him, I'd not think he was there.

"I got it!" he exclaimed, as he ran to me and dug through my stuff. I helped him, and I tore a sheet of paper from my logbook, and I handed him my quill. Kent, Lyn, and Sain watched us.

Matt started sketching a map on the paper, with quick strokes of the quill. As he did, he spoke, "There are more of the foe inside than we thought."

Lyn nodded, "This is their stronghold. It's imperative we move carefully."

"These corridors…" I pointed to the map when Matthew had finished, "How wide are they?"

"Pretty narrow," the thief replied, "I'd say about the width of two people."

"This narrow corridor can be used to our advantage," Kent pointed out, "If we draw the enemy through here, we can engage them in small numbers and remain relatively safe."

Sain added, "If time is a concern, we can always rush them..."

"If we do that, we'd better be sure we can win." I told them.

Lyn just gave a contemplative nod, and she turned to me, "So, Kumi. What do you think? How we move forward is completely up to you."

"Yes," I firmly nodded, and I studied the map once again. I hurriedly formed a plan, and I came out saying, "At the entrance, there is a fork in the path… maybe we can divide the group…?"

"Afraid we can't, Kumi," Matt shook his head, "there's just too many of them."

"You reported a treasure room here," I pointed to a room in the map, "I don't see something wrong with raiding that place. If we don't get a few useful treasures fast, they enemy might try to escape with those things…"

"You can send me alone to the treasure room," Matt volunteered, "If you all rush in the other direction, they won't be bound to notice me."

"Alright," I nodded, "Kent and Sain, tell the others to get ready to attack. Oh, wait, someone has to stay here to watch the camp… That would be… Well, the siblings have to keep away from the fighting, and maybe Lucius can stay at camp, too…"

"Alright, Lady Kumiko. We will tell them," Kent gave me a nod before he and Sain set off to tell the others. Lyn followed them as well.

"And what about you?" I turned to the thief, "Everything you pilfer from the treasure room belongs to _us_. You'd better not hide something for yourself."

"Yeah, right," his tone sounded a bit… sarcastic?

"Are you mad at me, Matt?" I questioned.

He just flashed me his boyish grin, and he replied, "Nah. Why should I be?"

I decided to just smile back, "I should've known, thief."

He just chuckled, and he took something from his belt and he handed it to me.

"You asked for them, right?"

Lockpick wires. Five of them.

"Never let any skill go to waste," he grinned, and he held me on my head and patted it there. Great. He messed my hair again.

I was about to complain about my hair, but he was suddenly gone, just like that.

Hah… Matt…

I ran to the group to see them already prepared. In no time, we entered the old castle, and I found that so far, everything Matt put down on the map was true. There was a fork in the path—one continued north and one went to the right.

"Well, see 'ya!" Matt ran off on his own to take the path on the right to rob the treasures from the treasure room.

"And take care of yourself!" I told him.

He just winked at me before he ran off.

And that exact moment, an arrow flew to us, landing on the floor just beside my feet. This snapped everyone to be alert, and I saw Wil and Rath hold on to their bows and pull an arrow from their quivers…

But it was Erk and his Fire magic to the rescue to rid of the archer.

I was whispering instructions of where to go and all when the enemies started coming, and the narrow paths became battlefields. Let's not forget the arrows constantly being rained on us. Erk tasked himself to take care of the archers, and Serra was busy tending to even the slightest of wounds. Dorcas and Kent were at the front, they were our first line offense, backed by Lyn and Sain.

Florina, with her javelin, and the two archers attacked from distances. I was at the rear, constantly shouting warnings and directions.

I glanced at the map and realized that Matt was taking long. Maybe I should send someone to support him…

"Sain!" I called the knight, "I want you to go check on Matthew! He's taking too long!"

"Yes, my lovely lady Kumi!" He replied, and he rode past me, to check on Matt as I ordered. I hope the thief's not in trouble…

When we proceeded, Lyn put something to my attention.

"Kumi! There's a locked door here… what do we do? The enemies must've locked it when we attacked, for their defense…

I ran to the door, and assured Lyn, "Well, we can always wait for Matthew, or I can… well, try opening it?"

The group was puzzled, but they eventually realized what I meant when I took the lockpicks and started working on the keyhole of the door.

It took me about seven adjustments to the lockpick wire when the door gave away for me with a 'clink'. Matt could've done it faster than me, but at least I got the job done.

Lyn looked at me in disbelief, she blinked, but we all just continued to pass by the door, where inside were more enemies…

"_Hey! This isn't fun, you know!" Matthew shouted at the enemy sword-user that was running after him. He was just trying to get the gold out of a treasure chest he opened when the enemy charged at him, "This isn't—"—he evaded another sword stroke again by parrying to the right—"—fun!"_

_When he evaded another sword stroke, the pouch containing the gold he took was slashed, and gold coins started pouring onto the floor._

"_That's it!" annoyed, the thief stopped running around and evading, and he placed a hand on the hilt of his dagger with resolve. The enemy lunged at him again, he evaded by crouching down, and in one swift motion he was behind the enemy, and he, without regret, edged the dagger to the man's throat, and killed him._

_He thought it was over, but a dagger suddenly went flying towards him. Matthew managed to evade in time, but his red cloak was damaged. He turned to see another enemy from the north door of the treasure room, with tools of his trade attached to his belt—lockpick wires and false door keys and such._

"_Aha, another thief," Matthew mused aloud. A duel with one of his kind seemed nice…_

_But the supposed to be battle between him and the other thief was halted when a javelin flew towards the enemy, and hit him dead on the chest._

_Matthew turned around to see Sain._

_Sain just blinked at him, and Matthew shrugged, and he picked up the gold coins scattered on the floor, putting them in another pouch._

Lyn and Kent were beating up the enemy boss when Sain and Matthew were reunited with us. Serra was healing a wound on Dorcas, and I was jangling the lockpicks out of boredom. Lucius, Nils, and Ninian were now with us as well.

Lyn and Kent were trying to get the enemy boss to talk about the ring… but whatever they did, the man was decided to keep quiet…

"Give us the ring!" Lyn threatened again, "And swear us this oath... You must promise to leave those two alone. If I have your vow, I'll spare your life..."

The enemy groaned for a while, and then suddenly, with much force, he pushed Lyn away from him, and with his own sword, he stabbed himself in the chest…

Suicide…?

The man immediately fell dead, and Kent examined the sword on the man's flesh. He ran his fingers on the sword blade, "Milady, the sword was poisoned, so…"

"What?! Poison?" Lyn was surprised, "He took his own life..."

"These are no common brigands we're dealing with," Kent stated, "This man was trained by a well-organized group."

"What do they want with Nils and Ninian?" Lyn asked Kent, but there was no way he would know…

Lyn turned to the siblings, and she assured them, "Nils, Ninian. Everything's going to be fine. As long as you're with us, you'll be safe."

"But..." Nils began.

"You witnessed our victory, right?" Lyn snapped, "With Kumi's planning and my sword, you've no worries. If we all work together, there's nothing we can't overcome. I don't care who comes after you; I'll not let you be taken."

_With Kumi's planning_? Wow… I think I'm blushing…

"Really?" Nils inquired, eyes filled with hope.

"Yes, on my honor. Right, Kumi?"

I just nodded.

"Milady..." Kent called on Lyn's attention, and he brought to her this fine silver ring…

"Oh, yes…" Lyn took the ring, "Is this yours?"

"Ah..." Ninian examined the ring, "Yes, it's..."

"You called it Ninis's Grace," Lyn supplied, "did you not? That lout had it."

"Milady Lyndis!" Nils jumped at Lyn and embraced her out of happiness. "Thank you so much!"

Ninian only smiled, and said, "I have no other words, save thank you."

----

**I want no flames for my favoritism on Matthew. xD**


	10. Vortex of Strategy

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER EIGHT : VORTEX OF STRATEGY

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Passing through Araphen and Khathelet, Lyn and her friends arrive in Caelin. However, Caelin is now under the rule of Lord Lundgren. Lundgren's henchmen lay in wait to assassinate Lyn. They wait for her approach and ready a special weapon._

_-Kumiko's Journal_

"Look, Kumi!" Lyn called out to me, her voice seeming excited. I looked up from my logbook to see her pointing to the mountain ranges of Bern. "The mountains seem so far away now. We've come such a long way..."

"Milady Lyndis! Kumi! We can't be very far from the castle now!" Sain added, as he pulled on his horse. He sounded very relieved…

Kent retained his formal self, "By my reckoning, we can reach Castle Caelin in two days if we hurry."

"Two more days..." Lyn whispered, "Hold on, Grandfather. Please..."

Beside Lyn was Florina, who was also pulling her pegasus by its reins. She turned to Lyn, and said, "Cheer up, Lyn. If they see you looking so sad, the entire company will lose heart."

Lyn smiled and nodded, "Florina... You're right. There's nothing to be gained by worrying. We just have to press onward."

"That's the spirit!"

So that was the case. We were already in the outskirts of Caelin, as Kent told me the night before. Now we were still marching deeper into the land, and I decided to pick up a slower pace as to go with the rear group and figure what they were talking about.

The group walking slower was composed of Dorcas, Serra, Erk, Wil, Rath, and Lucius. Matthew was trailing behind on his own.

The first statements I heard were from Wil.

"We sure have come a long way, huh? Lady Lyndis will finally see her grandfather!"

"That is if we even get through to Castle Caelin safely," Erk remarked, "His granduncle will probably be launching attack after attack at us."

"Oooh, Erky!" That could only be Serra, "You don't have to be so negative! Of course Lyn will see her grandfather! Because she has us! We'll cut through that Lundgren guy and… well, of course _you _guys will do the cutting! I can't do that! After all, I'm just a frail priestess that needs to be escorted to Ostia! And Erk! Don't forget that you still have to escort me to Ostia! I'm still your master! Recently, you've been failing to protect me, maybe I should take down your pay by a gold or two! Maybe—"

"Serra," Erk snapped, "I don't mind. I will gladly leave you to go to Ostia on your own at any day."

Serra blabbed on some more, and Dorcas and Rath were quiet as usual. They hardly ever speak! Lucius and Wil were chatting about something or another. Matt was whistling to himself…

"Hey," I nudged the thief, "What did you steal from the treasure room?"

Without any word, he just took out a pouch and handed it to me. I took it, and I decided it was filled with gold. Great! We could use the money!

And he also took out a red, spherical stone… ah, a red gemstone. I think it'll sell at shops for a fine amount of gold! I took that from him as well.

"That's all I got," he said.

I was about to tease him, by implying that maybe he's hiding something or another, but I decided not to. He might get offended by it, and besides… this is enough! I ran to Kent and handed him the things, because he took care of our finances and all…

"Maybe we should set camp here to have lunch…" Lyn suggested when we stopped by a grassy plain. The sun was already pretty high, and we haven't eaten a thing yet…

"Yes, I guess that would be best," I nodded in agreement.

We all settled down on the grass, and Kent distributed around some beef jerky. I heard a number or so of complaints for the food—Serra's, to be exact, but you can't really be picky with food when you're traveling.

I was seated beside Lyn, and she was about to take a bite of her food when Nils whispered, and in an eerie voice to boot:

"Lyn... Danger approaches..."

Lyn only blinked at him. "What did you say?"

Sain and Kent were on the alert. Sain, after looking around, said, "I don't see anything. Are you sure?"

"I feel it, too. I'm sure of it," Ninian voiced. And suddenly, she screamed, "Ah! Milady, don't move!"

Lyn only put on a puzzled face, but the next thing we knew was an arrow came from the skies, hitting the ground right beside Lyn. We gasped.

"What in—" Lyn was shocked, "Where did this bolt come from?"

Kent immediately concluded, between gritted teeth, "They have a ballista!"

"Lord Lundgren is getting serious. Deploying siege engines is no mean feat." Sain said, and he was still a bit calm.

"What is a ballista?" Lyn questions, as she took the bolt that almost hit her in her hands.

"It's a weapon designed for long-distance attacks," I told her knowingly, "Only archers can use them, but they can be devastating."

The next thing I did was to tell the group to cut whatever they were doing. Clearly Lundgren's troops were around! They hesitantly left the food, and I said, "Nils, Ninian, stay here. Florina, watch over them! And don't take to the air! The ballista would target you in an instant! Dorcas! Stay here too and guard the camp!"

"Yes!" Florina and Dorcas chorused.

"Is there a way to combat the ballista?" Lyn asked me as everyone was getting ready.

"The safest course is to use someone with good defense as bait, so the enemy wastes arrows," I answered, "And then we can get rid of the person manning the ballista."

Lyn only nodded, and as the group tried to hurriedly prepare, I managed to pull Wil aside, and I asked, "Wil, can you use a ballista?"

"I've never tried, but..."—he strapped his quiver to himself—"It's just a really big bow, right? I should be able to figure it out."

I was getting my logbook out of the bag when I heard Matt's voice from behind me, "Ah, Kumi! I have some minor... business... to attend to. I'm unable to join you."

I was about to turn to him to ask him why, but he was gone, as quick as that… I looked around camp to find him, but he was gone…

Oh, well. He's Matt, so he probably knows what he's up to…

I ran with the guys across the plains and through mountains, with Kent and Sain in the front lines again. There was an occasional rain of arrows, and we have to add the enemies that were engaging the group as well…

I saw Lucius and Erk, back-to-back, simultaneously casting spells. I noticed, when Lucius casts his Lightning spell, his eyes don't glow like Erk's… Lucius doesn't seem to be possessed by some spirit. Now that I think of it, I must wonder how Lucius can stay in the presence of violence, him being a monk and all… I wonder how---

"Kumi, watch--!"

Yikes! An arrow, and arrow! And it's coming towards me! What do I—no, don't panic…!

Instinctively, when the arrow was about to hit me, I rose my hand (holding my logbook) to protect my face out of fear and the arrow struck my logbook. Whew! That was close! It could've been my face!

…Wait up… my logbook!

"Stupid arrow…" I cursed as I tried to pull the thing off my precious logbook. I kept my records there! But I couldn't pull it off, and I sighed, as I crouched down to evade a sword stroke from a mercenary (my reflexes are getting better, a little) and then Lyn killed off the thug for me.

"Sain!" I called on the cavalier, and I got on his horse. I figured I'd be safer with him than walking alone, wandering when some arrow will hit me again. I held on tight to him as he attacked other cavaliers, and I ignored the stupid things he was saying.

A few more fights and we reached the ballista, where Erk immediately dispatched the archer manning it.

I got off Sain's horse and ran to Wil, who was already examining the ballista.

"Are there any bolts left?" I asked importantly.

"There seems to be three more here…" he held up these gigantic arrows. The ballista itself was like a gigantic bow, activated by pulling a trigger. The ballista was on elated ground, and we could see the battle brewing around easily. I pointed to an enemy fighting with Sain, "Can you try attacking him?"

Wil loaded a bolt, aimed, and pulled the trigger to the ballista.

The huge arrow came flying in the air, but landed a few feet away from the enemy. Actually, it almost hit Sain clear on the head.

"Hey!" Sain yelled, "Watch out! Careful with that thing!"

"Yikes," Wil and I said at the same time.

"…It's awfully hard to aim, and I'm not used to it yet… Maybe Rath can use it better?" he suggested.

I called Rath, and he rode over to us.

But when I asked him to try the ballista, all he said was a flat, "No."

"Why not, Rath?" I asked.

"Nomads don't use ballista."

"But you're an archer as well, right?" I pressed.

"I don't shoot well when I'm not on a horse."

And then he rode away. Wil and I were left to blink.

"Odd fellow…" I whispered to myself, and then I turned to Wil again. "Hey, Wil. It means it's just you. Maybe after the battle you can train with it… but not now while there's fighting. You might hit one of our guys by accident."

"Right!" he nodded enthusiastically, and we ran down to the battle once again.

Finally, the battle was over. From atop a tree branch, I watched the battle come to a close, still clutching my arrow-struck logbook with me. Kent has just finished off the guy defending the castle fort, and… he didn't look well. Kent's face rarely showed emotion, but I just felt like there was something wrong…

"Is it over?" Lyn asked. I overheard her as I watched Nils, Ninian, Dorcas, and Florina arrive, lugging our supplies with them. They must've sensed that the battle was over. Serra was tending to Rath's wounds, and miraculously, she didn't speak much to Rath. Rath had that kind of effect on people. Erk was dusting the earth off his cloak, and Lucius was already resting, sitting on a tree stump. Sain was wiping the blood off his lance point.

"Yes. I see no more enemy soldiers. However, something is bothering me." Kent said. I knew it, something was wrong…

"What is it?"

"I noticed it during the fighting. Our opponents... They were soldiers of Caelin. I even recognized some of those we fought. I trained with many of them... And yet they attacked us without hesitation."

…What? So the enemies were Caelin knights…

"They're black-hearted traitors who've joined Lord Lundgren. Good riddance, I say. It also means less resistance at the castle." Sain pointed out the positive.

"I hope you're right..." Kent said. He looked really troubled by this… I guess even Kent, who tried to be so stiff and formal, has emotions as well.

Lyn decided to think positive, just like Sain, "I'm just glad Nils and Ninian were with us," she glanced at the siblings, "If that first shot had hit me, I might not have survived."

Nils and Ninan heard this, and Ninian said, "We are honored to have served you well."

"We won't let you down!" Nils added.

"I know. I'm relying on you."

Right after Lyn said that, I felt the tree branch I was settle on shake, and I clung onto the trunk for dear life. Yikes. I wonder what I looked like. But the next thing I see is that the thief Matthew is sitting on the branch, beside me. The branch became unstable, and I clung more to the trunk.

"What's this? You dealt with the ballista, too? Nicely done!" the thief said.

"Matthew, where were you during all this?" Lyn asked.

He jumped off the branch and landed nicely, even quite gracefully. The branch shook again, and I couldn't help but yelp as I wrapped my arms around the trunk once again. Those who witnessed me, Matt, Lyn, Sain, and Kent, even giggled as they watched me. Oh, that's it! I'm not settling myself on a tree again!

When they recovered from giggling and I was red from embarrassment, Matt cleared his throat and said, "I went to the village to sniff about for information. I got some interesting news for my trouble, too."

Lyn said, "Let's hear it!"

I wanted to hear this. I wanted to. The others were clearing the place, maybe even exploring the fort, as I jumped off the tree branch and fell on my feet clumsily. I was about to crumple to the floor because I lost my balance, but Matt held me firmly on my shoulders, and I managed to regain my balance. I heard giggles again.

"First, about Marquis Caelin's illness," Matt returned to business, his hands still on my shoulders. "He really is unwell. He's been abed for nigh on three months."

"Oh, no... Grandfather..."

"I heard an interesting rumor about his condition, though. The people believe that someone's been poisoning the marquis..." Matt continued.

"He's being poisoned!?" I shrieked, as Matt pulled his hands off me, and I managed to stand straight again.

"And this someone... Well, everyone's too afraid to mention a name. However, they say that, as soon as the marquis took ill, a certain noble took control of the castle as though it were his own. I fed a hungry innkeeper some coin, and he fed me a name. The marquis of Caelin's own brother, Lord Lundgren."

"How can this be? How can they allow him to get away with this? The villagers know he's the one poisoning my grandfather, and yet no one raises a hand against him? Why?" Lyn said, outraged.

"They are afraid, and they lack proof," Kent pointed out, "The whisperings of the common people means nothing."

"That's the truth of it," Matt said, "And of the marquis's loyal retainers who might have lent credence to these rumors, there is no sign."

I ordered the others to take rest in the fort, and they willingly obeyed, since they were tired from the fight as well.

"Are you saying they've been silenced?" Lyn asked Matt.

The thief just shrugged, "It's a fair assumption," and then he added, "The worst news is yet to come."

"What? There's more?"Sain, who had been with us as well, said.

"An imposter's appeared, claiming to be the marquis's granddaughter. At least, that's the story Lundgren's telling to all who'll listen."

Oh, gosh… Lundgren could do that? How could he…

Lyn didn't seem to understand what Matt meant, so she asked for a clarification, "What does that mean?

"It means that people are waiting for two traitorous knights and a baseborn child to appear and lay claim to Castle Caelin." Matthew answered.

Kent, Sain, and Lyn were all shocked. Sain protested, "But... But that... It can't be!"

"Traitors? Us? Ridiculous!!!" Kent said.

Lyn looked thoughtful, and puzzled, "He says... I'm an imposter?

"Don't you have anything that proves your lineage?" Matthew calmly asked.

"When my mother joined the Lorca, she brought nothing of Lycia with her…" Lyn answered.

Sain's face suddenly lit up, as he pointed to Lyn's face, "Milady, Marquis Araphen himself remarked at your resemblance to Lady Madelyn! Your face is your proof!"

Kent shook his head, "They'll say we found a look-alike somewhere... We're seen as betrayers of our knightly vows. Our word means nothing. No, our only hope is to see Marquis Caelin himself."

"We must hurry," Lyn spoke with determination, "If not, my grandfather... I must see him!. With my last breath if need be."

"But we must formulate some manner of plan!" I insisted, "Even if we set out for the castle, the troops patrolling the area will cause no end of problems. You have been branded as oathbreakers, after all!"

After thinking my words for a while, Lyn said, "I've got it! Eliwood... He seemed sympathetic to our plight. He should still be in Kathalet. If we can talk to him, he might help us!"

Back to Kathalet…? Oh, gosh, we have to march all the way back to Kathalet? "Of course! A sound idea!" I said, a little sarcastically.

However, they didn't seem to notice I meant that sarcastically, for Sain shouted, "Let's hurry!"

"Yes! Back to Kathalet!!" Lyn announced.

I rolled my eyes, and pointed out, "We'll take half a day to reach Kathalet again. And then we have to return to this place. I think it best that only some of us go to Kathalet," I pointed to the sky, "And the sun is setting as well…"

"…What do you suggest, Kumi?" Lyn asked.

"I suggest that you, Kent, and Sain go to Kathalet while we wait here."

"Splendid idea," Matt remarked, and he patted me on the head again. I ignored him.

"That seems like a time saving plan…" Kent said, "So, we ride to Kathalet?"

"Will you be alright here, Kumi?" Lyn asked me, and she looked concerned…

"Don't worry about your precious tactician! I'll make sure to watch over her!" Matt said.

"What?" I reacted, "I'll be fine on my own, I don't need a guar—"

"Very well," Lyn said before I could finish, "I trust you'll watch over her, Matthew. Kent, Sain… We ride to Kathalet! We can't waste any time!"

And so, Lyn rode with Kent on his horse, and she, Kent, and Sain disappeared into the direction of Kathalet.

I sighed, and I walked into the fort, Matt trailing after me.

Later that night, I was with Wil and Matt at the ballista again. I left Rath and Dorcas to watch over the others in the castle. I had hoped to get Wil some training, so even if it was dark…

Matt had collected some more bolts, and those things were sitting beside me and Wil, beside the ballista. Matt was holding out a torch in the distance, and the goal was to hit the tree right beside him. I worried that Matt might actually get hit, but he said that there was no way he'd let that happen to him. He was a thief fast on his feet, so I doubt he'd get hit so easily.

Wil loaded a bolt, and he aimed, and he pulled the trigger. The arrow came flying towards the tree, and landed just right before Matt's feet. He jumped away in time, thankfully.

Wil kept doing this, trying to shoot the tree, one try after another. And finally, on the tenth try and on the last bolt, he hit the target!

"Yes!" he and I both shrieked, and we jumped around for joy. Matt waved his hands in congratulations. He picked up the bolts in the ground, ran to give them to us. He ran back to the tree, where Wil got some more target practice done. He actually hit correctly this time around! Yes!

After a few more shots, I tapped the archer on the shoulder, and I told him, "Let's call it a day, Wil. I think you've already gotten the hang of it."

"Alright," he nodded, "Thank you, Kumi."

"Thanks for what?"

"For giving me a chance to learn to use the ballista."

I just smiled, and I called Matt over. We all went back to the fort, to get some rest.


	11. A Grim Reunion

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER NINE : A GRIM REUNION

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Lyn and her friends have been branded as traitors, pretenders to the throne. Lundgren has sent word to Caelin's neighbors, warning them of Lyn's approach. He calls for reinforcements to put an end to the "imposter". If the other realms of Lycia choose to act, Lyn will never reach Caelin alive. Lyn places her faith in Eliwood and waits._

_-Kumiko's Logbook_

I've never woken up with such a wonderful feeling before…

Maybe because the fort had beds. There had been an area like some sort of barracks, with all these beds… The mattress wasn't that thick or soft, but I couldn't ask for anything more. It beats the ground.

I woke up to the scene of the barracks. Serra, Matthew, Nils, Ninian, Florina, Lucius and Wil were still sleeping. I understand them. It's hard to let go of beds once you find them. When traveling, they're something short of a luxury.

I couldn't find Rath anywhere, which wasn't something to worry about. Erk was on the bed next to mine, flipping through his tomes. Dorcas was also around, rummaging through his things.

My early morning activity would be to write in my logbook, but I wanted to sulk when I held the black book in my hands, still with an arrow through it. I sighed, and then I approached Dorcas, tapping him lightly on the shoulder.

"Dorcas," I said, and he turned to me. All I did was to put on puppy-dog eyes and show the logbook to him. He knew what I meant. He took my logbook in his big hands, and he pulled the arrow out of my book. I was relieved! I felt like the arrow was pulled free from my heart!

Erk must've been watching that scene all along, because he said, "If you love the book too much, Kumi, you should invest in binding it in metal."

"I know, but I don't have the money for it yet," I told him. And then I turned to Dorcas, "Thank you, Dorcas."

"It was nothing."

I was checking my logbook to see if there were severely damaged pages. Hmm… well, the last quarter of the book had a wound in the middle, thanks to the arrow… Aw, I just called a torn part a wound? Hmm…

"Kumiko?"

I stopped examining my logbook, and I blinked at Dorcas, "Yes, Dorcas?"

"I want to write to Natalie."

"Oh, go ahead," I said, "No one's stopping you."

Dorcas just stared at me.

"I believe he means he needs your help writing,"—Erk was still listening in—"Or maybe he needs some paper."

"Oh!" I immediately sat beside Dorcas and pulled out some ink and my quill, ready to lend my services, "What do you need, Dorcas? I'll be happy to help!"

(When it comes to spreading education around, I get giddy!)

But then the door burst open, letting in Rath. He said, "Lady Lyndis and the others are here."

And to prove that statement true, I was met by a chorus of, "Kuuuuuuumiiii!!!"

It was both Lyn and Sain, with the latter trying to tackle me. Sain practically jumped at me, armor and all. I swiftly evaded with one quick motion of the foot, something I learned from watching Matthew. The end result was that Sain ran into Dorcas! Ha!

"Kumiko!" Sain said, and I knew, oh I knew by that tone that he was about to start some dramatic monologue, "And here I thought you missed me! You don't know, Kumi, how I hunger for your angelic presence in the cold of the night—"

"Sain will you please—" I tried to tell him to stop, but…

"Oh, Kumi! I knew it! You missed me too! I knew you would! Don't deny, O gorgeous tactician! I will accept your feelings with my all…"

I couldn't evade the upcoming tackle in time. Thankfully, Erk left a foot on the floor and Sain tripped over it. Lyn and I laughed ourselves loud.

When the laughter has died and Sain was giving Erk killer looks, I was musing about how the others can miraculously stay asleep in all the noise. I looked by the door, where Kent and Rath were standing by each other. The two were pretty similar… Quiet but responsible… and both of them look after Lyn…

They didn't talk much with each other… oh, gasp! Are they, like, jealous of each other, 'cause of love for Lyn?

Nah. I've read too much romance novels. They're just simply too quiet to judge.

"Should we wake up the others?" I asked Lyn. We had no time to waste, after all…

But Lyn said, "Perhaps we can wait until after lunch. I'm tired as well from our journey to Kathalet. I need some sleep…"

I pointed to a vacant bed, and said, "You're free to rest, Lyn," I turned to Kent and Sain, "Kent, Sain… you should get some sleep as well…"

"Yes!" Sain said, a little too enthusiastically for my tastes. He's probably thinking something… "Kumi! You should sleep as well!"

"Err, sorry, I just woke up," I said, backing away from him. I think I could hint on what his thoughts were. I pulled my things from my bed, though, and offered, "You can sleep on my bed, though, since there aren't any more vacant beds."

"Yes!" Sain literally jumped for the bed.

"Sain… take off your armor first…" Kent reminded him.

"Oh, yes! Thank you for reminding me, Kent!"

And thus Sain proceeded to strip his armor off. I knelt beside Dorcas again, and I told Kent, "Kent, you should get some rest as well…"

"…Someone has to keep watch."

"Rath, Dorcas, Erk and I are already awake," I pointed out.

"There's no vacant bed."

Erk got up from his bed, and offered, "You can use this one."

"But—"

"Lyn!" I called over to Lyn, who was already settled on a bed on the far end, "Tell Kent to get some sleep!"

And Lyn replied, in a drowsy voice, "…Kent. Get some sleep. That's an order."

There was nothing Kent could do against the word "order". I knew him to be like that. With a grunt, he retreated to the bed and proceeded to take his armor off before sleeping. Sain was already in slumber—that was fast! I bet he was really tired.

Rath disappeared in the middle of all this, but I decided not to worry about him. I turned my full attention to Dorcas. We were sitting on the floor, and I put my papers up on the bed.

"Can you write it down for me?"

I guess it was Dorcas' way of saying, "I can't write. Write for me."

"Sure. Go ahead," I dipped my quill into the ink.

The next few moments were Dorcas dictating to me, and me writing things down. As I was finishing, I noticed Erk peer at my writing and say, "Your handwriting is sloppy. You could use a penmanship course."

I knotted my eyebrows at him. I thought my handwriting was fine, "I see nothing wrong, Erk."

"You write in print."

"I prefer it to cursive."

"Girls don't write in print."

"_Tacticians_ write in _italicized_ print."

He gave up the argument with a groan of defeat, but he did sit beside us, occasionally pointing out a mistake or two.

When we finished, I asked Dorcas, "Can Natalie read?"

"Yes," he replied. As usual, Dorcas was short on words.

"But it was a waste of time," Erk pointed out, "You won't be able to send that until we reclaim Caelin. Why write this early?"

I knotted my eyebrows at him again, "Erk… he misses his wife. He can write to her anytime he feels like it, right? He can write again after we reclaim Caelin,"—I tapped Dorcas on the shoulder—"I'll be there to help him."

Again, Erk groaned a groan of defeat. I had a feeling he was going to sit in one corner again and bury his head in a book, so I said, "Erk, you said you'd show me some magic sometime, right?"

"I believe I did say that."

"How does now sound like a good time?"

So after receiving a thanks from Dorcas and me telling him that it's my pleasure to help him, I slipped off with Erk into the open courtyard. There he demonstrated a few spells for me. I watched in silence, and was about to make some remark when Rath called for breakfast.

And so the day dragged on. We were back to marching just right after we took lunch—that moment when the sun was unbearable. I considered passing out, but I didn't want to. I was a tactician—I should be an asset, not a burden…

We somehow survived—A miracle, especially when you consider Florina and Serra. Lucius, Nils, and Ninian looked quite tired as well. I wasn't feeling my best, too…

Things took a better turn around sunset, where it started to get cool. Things took a worse turn, I realized, when Sain said, "This weather is turning foul. It looks like a fog is rolling in."

"This is no good," Kent said, "If the fog thickens, we'll be blind in battle. It will be difficult to fight what we cannot see."

I just nodded. I didn't want to talk. I wanted water.

"We can't let it delay us, though," said Lyn, "Let us press on. We must get closer to the castle. What's the best route?"

"Our best path is to the south... However, that runs through General Eagler's estate. It looks like we still have one final obstacle to pass," Kent said, and so I decided to walk along with the group and ask for water.

Lucius offered his water to me, but I declined. I knew he was as thirsty as I was. I took Nils' when he offered his water to me, saying he wasn't thirsty at all. That's odd. We've been walking in what seemed like a desert for hours…

The worse part came later when we reached what I assumed was this General Eagler's estate. The Caelin soldiers around immediately mobilized, and I heard screams, "The impostor and the oathbreakers! We must capture them!"

…I was too tired to think up of a plan… It was starting to get cool… I always get sleepy when it's cool like this…

"AHH!!" I suddenly screamed, when I felt a gush of warm water pour onto me, right from my head. I turned around to see the culprit—"Matt!! Why did you--?!"

"At least you're awake now," he said with a smirk.

I shook my head, and water flew out from the brown-blonde strands, "You could use other means, you know! Now my robes are wet!"

He only shrugged, and he then said, "Kumi, if a fog turns up, put me in the lead, please. Surely you know that we... er... thieves, if you must, can see through fog."

I nodded, a memory of my friend from the Tactician Guild running through my mind. She was training to be a spy, and she said a good spy must be comfortable with the dark.

The thief disappeared as quickly as he appeared, and somehow, maybe thanks to the splash of warm water, I was inspired to do my job, "Kent, Sain, and Lyn—to the front offense! Rath, Dorcas, and Erk—back-up! Matt, Lucius, Wil, Florina—rear guard!"

The rest—me, Nils, Ninian, and Serra, were at the rear, positioned to keep away from the fighting.

No sooner after I've given my orders, the enemies started coming. The arrows started flying, the weapons started colliding, and all that…

So it was unexpected when I heard Kent and Sain talking with one of the enemies…

I ran to the front, and saw the two Caelin knights talking with this huge man—a knight, and bald to boot.

"Kent, who is this?" Lyn asked before I could.

"He used to be the commander of the knights of Caelin," Kent answered.

"Aren't you supposed to be retired? I heard you were sowing fields now," Sain said.

"I am, and I was. Then I received orders from Lord Lundgren. I was told to capture an imposter and a pair of rogue knights."

"Lord Wallace! Surely, you don't believe us to be oath breakers, do you?" Kent tried to convince this "Wallace" person.

Instead, Wallace demanded, "Bring me the girl that claims to be Lady Madelyn's child."

And protectively, Sain and Kent went towards Lyn, blocking her from Wallace's sight.

"What are your intentions?" Sain questioned. Though Sain may be sometimes girl-crazy, he still has some sense of duty, after all.

"If I don't like what I see, I will take her."

"We will prevent you," Kent said.

Wallace chuckled, and said, "You? Prevent me? You must be—"

"Enough!" Lyn finally said, as she pushed through Sain and Kent and their horses, "I'm right here! I am Lyndis. I'll understand if you don't believe me. But I've had enough of you and your foolish posturing!"

I caught Wallace stare into Lyn's eyes, and he mused aloud, "Hmm... Such beautiful eyes..."

Lyn looked puzzled, "Pardon?"

"I've been a knight for 30 years, and there is one thing I learned. A person with eyes as bright and true as yours is no deceiver. Ha ha ha ha ha ha! Ah, yes! I like you, girl! Why, I believe I'll even join your little band of mercenaries!"

I blinked. Sain was caught in disbelief as well, so he asked, "Are you... Are you serious?"

Wallace nodded, "This old bull's pledged his loyalty to Caelin. I would never allow an usurper on the throne. Let's march!"

And with that, Sir Wallace walked off to the rest of the group. He's… an odd fellow.

"He... He hasn't changed at all," I heard Kent whisper.

Lyn heard it as well, "I like him. He's... honest."

"That he is. He deserves our respect," Kent said.

Well, well… it only meant we had another member in our army… I have to get to know someone again…

"Sir Wallace!" I ran towards the huge knight. He had so much armor on him, that I can tell.

He turned towards me, as the others were still fighting. I could hear the shrieks and the battle cries in the air. I ignored those, and I said, "I am Kumiko, the tactician of this group. It's nice to meet you!"

I think he responded, but my eyes were fixed on something I saw on his armor. It was a Knight's Crest—a promotional item. It is given to knights and cavaliers of great skill…

He must've noticed it, because he started laughing loud, "Ha ha haaaa! So you've noticed my knight crest, have you? You've eyes like an eagle, my friend! Ha ha haaaa!"

"You mean, sir, you haven't used it yet?" I inquired, ignoring the loud way he laughed and all, "Wasn't it bestowed to you by your lord?"

"No, no," He said, "I just picked this up."

"Oh. Then may I have it?" I asked. Hm… well, a Knight Crest looked like such a cute souvenir that I could bring back to my friends in Bern…

Wallace just stared at me, and suddenly he came out laughing, "Ha ha ha! I like you as well, girl! You may have the crest!"

He peeled the crest from his armor, and he handed it to me. I studied it. If memory serves me right, it's the crest of the Caelin Knights…

"Kumi! Watch out!" Serra shrieked out loud.

I turned around. What was it again this time?

I knew what it was when an arrow flew towards me, and I took a sidestep to evade it—but I wasn't able to fully. The arrow barely sliced through my skin—at the area just above my right eyebrow. Darn it.

The arrow hit Wallace beside me, but the thick armor he wore all over his body just deflected it off.

Wil spotted the archer who shot me, and unhesitant, he cast an arrow towards that direction. I didn't even turn to look if he killed the archer who did this to me or not. Blood was gushing out of the cut, into my eye.

I shut my eye, and I saw Wallace take a concerned step towards me. I stopped him, "No, this is fine! Please help with the fighting!"

He followed my orders, and ran to join Kent and Sain on the front lines.

I rummaged in my bag for a vulnerary, and I found it, and dabbed the ointment onto the cut, to stop the bleeding. But Serra shrieked again for me to stop, and she ran towards me.

"Kumi! What are you doing?! You should let me heal it!" she screamed, as she held her staff, and explained, "If that wound becomes a scar, I won't be able to heal it! It'll be a mark on your face for life! Girls like us must take care of our faces!"

She blabbed on some more, but eventually she healed the cut on my face. I wiped the blood off my face, and from my eyes. When I opened them, I saw clearly that it was dark… and foggy. I could barely see around.

I saw that Serra wasn't around me… where did she run off to? I saw Erk's mage's robes, so I ran towards him, and I was reunited with the rest of the group.

"Where have you been?" Erk sounded like he was scolding me, "It's easy to get lost in this fog! Keep close to the group!"

I mumbled an apology. He just sighed and said, "Just remember to stay close to us."

"The fog's rolling in! We can't hit an enemy we can't see. Keep your eyes open, everyone!" I heard Lyn announce from the lead.

No sooner had she said that, Matt appeared, shaking me violently, "Kumi! Do we have a torch?"

A torch! That would be very useful, but… we didn't have one!

Matt groaned, but then he pulled a torch out of thin air. I blinked. Maybe the movement was just too fast for my eyes, which were still a little blurry.

"Ah, it's good I remembered to—ehem—take one," Matt said. By the way he said that, he probably meant he stole the torch from some place, "Erk, please."

Erk made a puzzled look for about a second, before casting Fire and lighting up the torch. Later, Erk whispered to me, "How did he know my name?"

I only shrugged.

I ordered the group to take directions from Matt, and they were confused, but they just followed. Matt led us into the forests, as he was shouting things like, "Sain, behind you!", or, "There's an archer there, Florina! Watch out!"

We couldn't even see the things he talked of. Sometimes we had to squint, sometimes we didn't see it at all, but he did. Amazing eyes…

I walked beside Matt at the lead, and he pulled on me numerous times to save me from sword strokes or arrows. That's it—I need the instincts of a thief.

We reached the fort, which was defended by this General Eagler and his knights. Blood flew around again, and I was screaming orders again. It was Kent and Sain who fought, and eventually fell, the Eagler person.

When the battle was finished, I ran to Sain and Kent, and I was quick enough to hear Eagler's last words.

"Go... Go quickly. The marquis... he knows nothing of this... His life is... There's no illness. Only... poison... Please... for the marquis... for all of Caelin..."

And he drew his last breath, and he… died. I flinched again.

But I just called, "Everyone! We take the fort. Let's get some rest."

Dinner was served by Dorcas and Wil, who raided the fort kitchens and managed to make us some stew. I sat beside Lyn, Kent and Sain, and I heard their discussion.

"…What kind of man was General Eagler?" Lyn asked, with some amount of remorse in her voice.

Kent picked up the same tone, and he replied, "When Sain and I first became knights, he was our captain. Our teacher..."

I joined in the conversation, "I think he must have known we were telling the truth. Why did he force the fight?"

Sain, for once, looked very serious as he suggested, "Something must have... Lord Lundgren was exerting some hold on him... Eagler was trying to protect someone. A friend perhaps, or family."

We were quiet for a while, and then Lyn came out saying, with hatred in her voice, "May Lundgren never know the peaceful embrace of Mother Earth! I care not what others do. I WILL stop that man!"

I found Dorcas and Wil, and complimented them on the food. I've never been the cook—I only used to bake pastries back in our guild. And then I found Serra, borrowed a mirror from her (it took me ages to get a mirror—she talked a lot first) and then I checked my face. The wound from the arrow was gone, traceless. I thanked Serra again.

I glanced out the window and saw Rath, with his nomadic horse, and he was tightening his bow strings. I didn't see Matthew, Florina was with Lyn, Lucius was locked in a room—praying, and I could bet Erk was in a corner, reading. Wallace wasn't around as well. I found Nils and Ninian in a bedroom, sitting on the beds, and I decided to approach them.

"Oh, hello, Kumiko," Ninian greeted me.

"Hello, Nils, Ninian," I returned the greeting, taking the seat beside Ninian on the bed, "We barely have time to talk. I'm sorry."

"No, you don't have to be," Nils said, "You and everyone else are always tired from battle. Ninian and I understand."

"Still, I feel like I barely notice you," I said, "So I'm sorry."

"It's alright," they said, in unison. They really are siblings.

I giggled, and I glanced at the flute in Nils hands, "Nils…?"

"Yes?"

"I've yet to hear you play the flute. I've heard you've played for the others and I was wondering…"

He just smiled, and said, "I know what you're trying to say, Kumiko. I'll play for you."

He played a melody—something like a lullaby. I heard he usually played cheerful tones, but since it was night and all, he might have chosen this instead. It was so calming, so soothing, so…

Before I could realize it, my mind seemed to cloud, and I found myself settling myself on the bed, mumbling Nils to continue playing while I fell asleep.

I woke up at some time past midnight. I found myself on the bed, and I looked around. Ninian and Nils were sharing the bed next to mine.

I felt the need to get up, and I looked out the window. I saw Kent, Wallace and Sain outside, digging. I decided to go to them.

It was cold and damp, and dark, weren't it for the full moon. I crept my way to Kent, Wallace and Sain, and I saw them toiling, digging the soil deep with shovels.

"Kent? Sain? Sir Wallace?" I approached them.

Kent and Wallace didn't even stop digging. Sain, however, turned to me, "Oh, Kumi, my lady."

"What are you doing?"

Sain cast a glance at the ground, and pulled on a weak smile, "Ah, Kumi… We're going to bury General Eagler and his knights. They were… they were good men, you see. They don't deserve to just be left like that…"

I gave a contemplative nod, as I watched them dig again. I was about to ask if I could help, but I decided not to. I would probably only be a burden.

It struck my mind and my heart, however. Must everything be resolved with fighting…?

**A/N: To my dear sweet reviewers… ugh, this chapter isn't polished yet. I think there's a number of mistakes on facts. And I didn't mention what happened to Lyn's travel to Kathalet. Sue me! Er… on second thought, don't. Because today's my birthday! (February 8!) I wanted to give you all a treat by updating. So now, give my birthday gift and review! xD**


	12. The Distant Plains

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TEN : THE DISTANT PLAINS

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_General Eagler has been defeated. Lyn and her band draw ever nearer to Castle Caelin. Within the castle walls, Lyn's bitter enemy, Lundgren, awaits... A man who would kill his own kin for a throne. He is the source of all her troubles. He must be stopped._

_-Kumiko's Logbook_

As we marched on towards Caelin, I was staring up at the skies. It looks like it's gonna rain…

Rain is… rain… rain…

"Oh!" I shrieked when I ran into Dorcas. Ugh, curse the rain! Anyways, Dorcas didn't seem to be bothered. I pulled my eyes from the skies, and I was able to listen in on Sain, Kent, and Lyn.

"Lady Lyndis, you should be able to see Castle Caelin once we pass these mountains," said Kent. Wow. That was a relief to hear.

"Grandfather... I'll be with you soon," Lyn whispered.

"Everything rests on this next battle." Kent stated the obvious.

"Lundgren will not be receiving the reinforcements he expected," Sain said, "He'll move against us with everything he has soon."

"Let him come! Let them all come! I will not be turned away! I will see my grandfather... I've come too far to let anyone stand in my way."

"You seem to hate the rain."

I snapped from my thoughts with Matthew's words. We were still marching through the mountains, and he walked beside me.

"Well," I began, "How can you say that I do?"

"You wrinkled your face in disgust when you stared up the dark sky."

…What? He saw that? That meant… he was staring at my face? I… I…

Darn it! I literally feel the heat rising in my cheeks! No… I shouldn't blush!

The thief ever so casually tilted a head to the side, "Kumi? You're blushing."

Damn, was he dense. I snapped my fingers, and in a second, I regained my composure, "Rain or the thought of it has that sort of effect on me," I lied.

He grinned—that mischievous boyish grin I've been getting accustomed to. "Oh, it does? It has to do with some sweetheart you left in Bern?"

"Rain, strategically speaking, makes it difficult to move around. We can't battle decently if it rains. Horses would have a hard time. And I just hate getting drenched. It makes moving around a lot harder."

"You didn't answer my question," he pointed out. "And I didn't ask for your opinion from a strategic point of view. And that has no relation to why you blushed because of the rain."

I only shrugged.

"Aw, that's so mean, Kumi." He told me.

Grinning, all I said was, "Thank you."

He rolled his eyes, and then he said, "Anyways, this sweetheart from Bern, how is he?"

I chuckled, "Hah! I never said I had a sweetheart."

He gave me a puzzled look as if he thought a girl like me shouldn't be alone. I sighed, and asked, "Matt, how old do you think I am?"

He was deep in thought for a while, and then he just shrugged, and said, "I may guess and may be wrong, but what is it with age? It's not at all that important."

I nodded. Oh, how I knew what he was talking about.

Florina scouted ahead, and reported Lundgren's troops waiting for us down the mountains. As expected, the lord didn't plan to let Lyn near the castle. Florina said that Lundgren defended the castle himself—ah, what dedication. I looked around in my bag and pulled out a map of the area.

I gathered the group and began the briefing before we jumped into the action.

"For this battle, we use the same formations as we've used before. It looks like it would rain though… if it does, it's much better to be on foot."

"We aren't used to fighting if we aren't on our horses, Kumi." Sain pointed out.

"Oh, I know. When it rains, just be careful with movement, Kent, Sain, Rath. Having your horses gallop is a no-no. Florina takes to the skies, so she doesn't have to worry about slipping on wet ground."

"Nomadic horses are better with rain," Rath spoke.

I just said, "Well, that's a relief."

After a few more words, I dismissed the group, and we continued marching towards Caelin. The minute we were out of the mountains, though, Lundgren's soldiers came coming.

I glanced up the skies, and saw them darker than ever. No… I hate the rain!

I pulled Ninian and Nils aside, because everyone was starting to get busy from fighting. I told them to stay with Dorcas when the first wave of enemies subsided. Right after I said that, I felt water trickle down from the skies. It was drizzling.

A drizzle was not at all a problem, but if it became rain…

"Kumi!" Ninian gasped as I was telling them what to do. With the horrified look on her face I'd bet this had something to do with danger—again. Sick and tired of shrieking and being rescued, I turned around to see a soldier lunging at me with his lance. My legs started acting on their own, recalling basic self-defense lectures I had before, and I sort of… hit the enemy hard on a… sensitive area where his armor didn't protect him. I mean, right between the thighs, if you know what I mean. When the enemy soldier fell to the ground, wincing in pain, I almost considered laughing. I found Wil staring blankly at me, and then he blinked, and then he started to laugh. He must've witnessed the scene.

And the enemy that threatened me just a while ago fell to Wallace's javelin, and he… died right in front of me. I backed away from his body, as if to declare that I was innocent and I had nothing to do with it. Wallace commented, with a thunderous, "Ha ha ha!!" that the move I used earlier was equally intimidating, surprising, and effective. I just blinked. I'd rather I wouldn't have to use that move again.

I turned to Ninian and Nils again, and Nils was about to speak, but then the full force of the rain came down.

I cursed, and I looked around, seeing that the enemies were gone. I found Kent and Sain struggling with their horses. Rath was more comfortable, but I still feared his horse would do something unpredictable.

"We march onward!" I declared, "And careful with your horses, Sain, Kent, Rath!"

And so we marched. I almost considered throwing my cloak away, because it was just making walking around a pain—it was drenched in the rain and therefore, heavy. Before I could do it, though, I stared at Ninian, who was in a long dress that fell to the ground. It must be harder for her to get around. Serra was talking talk unbefitting of someone from the clerical order because she had a hard time in her white cleric's dress. Not to mention the mud getting on those white robes. That's gonna be a pain to wash out.

I had no complaints about my dress—it was short, falling right above my knees. But the problem was it now clung heavily to my body. Ugh. I hate tight fitting clothes. My lengthy brown-blonde hair was slicked onto my neck as well.

I pulled my hair and wrung it dry as I shouted my orders.

We marched again, leaving behind blood blurred in the water. I found that there was not much talking in the group—the rain and the gravity of the situation prevented it, I guess. This is the final battle… we have to do our best!

I confirmed the thought to be true when I found Serra healing Erk, and this enemy soldier came after her. Before I could scream Serra's name, Matt killed off the enemy. Serra didn't even take time to glomp Matt like I knew she normally do. She just muttered a thanks.

"Kent, Sain, check the villages and houses!" I yelled when I found houses in the distance. The two cavaliers immediately did what I said.

The remainder of us continued marching, and we came to an abrupt stop when we found a river blocking our path.

"Oh, great," I groaned.

The current was very fast, due to the rain. Florina could fly over easily, but everyone else of us would have a hard time…

"Kumi…" Lyn tugged on my sleeves, hopeful. I knew she was asking for a solution.

I looked at the land ahead of us, and I caught sight of an armory. Oh, I wanted to get a heavy spear for Kent or Sain. I can make a fair guess that Lundgren will be with heavily armored knights.

"I can get across easily," Matt volunteered. His blonde hair clung to his face—in the nice way. Wait! What am I thinking?! Must not… be distracted…

"You can? The current's too strong. It's dangerous." I told him.

Before he could come up with some retort, I saw a conveniently placed tree by the river. It was a thick one… it would make a decent bridge…

"Dorcas!" I shrieked, "Cut down that tree!"

Dorcas did as I said, swinging his huge axe towards the tree trunk. Lyn's face lit up in realization, and she even ran to Dorcas to help out. Wallace followed suit. Serra was busy tending wounds (Lucius' for example), and Erk was looking after Nils and Ninian. Rath and Wil were behind me, doing nothing in particular.

I glanced back at the armory. I called Florina and Matt.

"Matt, please buy me a heavy spear," I said, handing him a pouch of gold, "Florina will help you cross through the river."

The thief backed away. "What?! No! I hate flying! I'd gladly cross the current with my feet…"

Florina backed away as well, and she hid behind me. "Ah… Kumi…"

"Florina, this is Matt, and he's a nice guy," I told Florina, "so long as you keep your own money well away from him. And Matt, the last thing we want is you getting drowned in the river or ending up in the sea or the Western Isles. Get on the pegasus, now."

He groaned, and he took the pouch from my hand, and he jumped onto the pegasus, Florina following after him.

When the pegasus took flight, I shouted, "And give me back the change!"

He was about the scream something back, but he almost fell off the winged mount doing so, so he decided to shut up and hold on tight.

Later Kent and Sain returned with an Energy Ring and some gold. I took the energy ring, (which I think should be given to Lyn) and let Kent hold the money. The tree then just fell into the river, and Lyn's group had an aura of triumph about them.

"Now we can get across!" Lyn had a cheerful moment. "I'll go on ahead first!"

It was still raining, and the timber would still be slippery, no doubt. "Careful, Lyn!"

Lyn was just about to place a foot on the makeshift bridge, when I heard Matt's voice scream, "Hey, wait!"

I found him on the other side of the river, Florina and her pegasus beside him, holding the heavy spear I asked for.

We were all puzzled, but Matt explained, "It's slippery! Don't dare walk across! Crawl!"

He was so demanding, but being a thief, he should know well. Lyn found it right to follow him.

Lyn crawled across, and the thief helped her get up, and Matt said, "Those of us who are more lightweight first!"

I ordered Erk, Serra, Ninian, Nils, Lucius, and Wil to cross first. And when it was my turn…

I tried to walk across the makeshift bridge, and I could feel the water running through my boots. Matt screamed, "Hey! You might slip!"

"I can do it!" I stubbornly declared. This friend of mine from the Tactician Guild, the one training to be a professional spy, has once tormented me to cross through a plank suspended from a cliff. She gave me a heart attack, but I somehow survived. And I can do it again. This wasn't a cliff, at least. And I had my friends here. I can do it.

I walked through, holding my hands out to balance. A wave of triumph washed over me when I found myself nearly at the end of the tree trunk. Hah! Anko, you cur—you made me cross a plank and nearly killed me in our childhood, but it paid off.

I was about to laugh at the thought of being able to say that to my friend in Bern…

When I flat out slipped.

"Kumi!" everyone seems to have shrieked.

I was so sure I would fall into the river and possibly die (can't swim), but I felt Matt's hand grip mine firmly and pull me towards him. I ended up right in his arms.

He smelled like sweat, mud, rain, and perfume—the ones they make in Ostia. It was faint, but definitely there. I almost sniffed his shirt, but I was reminded that everyone else was around. I looked up to him—he was still shouting careful instructions to Dorcas, who was trying to cross. Oddly, Matt looks a tad mature and responsible now, unlike the boyish, carefree thief I thought him to be.

Serra pulled me away from Matt, checking me for cuts, bruises, or anything of the sort. Thankfully she found none.

The last of us crossed through, and we breezed to the castle, to engage Lundgren and his men…

What a scene the battlefield was. It was right in front of the castle, with Lundgren screaming orders to his knights, and on the other side, I was screaming orders to our group.

"This is my realm, and you've entered without my permission. You will not leave these lands alive!" Lundgren screamed.

I had more useful things to scream, "Lucius and Erk, provide back-up with your magic! Serra, tend to the slightest of wounds, I tell you! Matt, keep watch over Serra! Sain, Kent, Wallace, Dorcas, Lyn… Attack!"

I watched them fight—Lyn swinging her Mani Katti around and Sain using the heavy spear. Erk was setting enemies on Fire and Lucius summoned lightning from the heavens—and it was raining. The lightning made it look like a storm…

Ninian, Nils, and I were back to back; Florina, Rath and Wil were guarding us. Wil told me they'd have a hard time hurting heavily armored knights who were almost covered completely in armor.

I shouted more through the rain, and eventually, I found Lyn fighting with Lundgren himself—the bad guy in Lyn's life so far. Lundgren himself was heavily armored, and Lyn barely scratched him. I gasped when I even saw Lyn thrown back a distance by Lundgren.

Kent and Sain were alarmed, but then they just finished their own respective fights. Then Sain charged at Lundgren with his Heavy Spear—Kent did the same with his Armorslayer. Lundgren had a hard time fighting both of them, and evading. His heavy armor did that. Wallace cast a javelin in that direction, but Lundgren managed to evade that. Hmm… Despite appearances, this Lundgren guy does have some amount of fighting skill…

His knights were gone by now. Our attack group was concentrating on Lundgren. They had him cornered now…

When Lundgren fell to his knees, the attack group gave Lyn the honor of dealing the final blow. Usually I would close my eyes or wrinkle my face in disgust at the sight of violence, but I didn't even do that now. Lundgren was too evil a person that I even wished, in the depths of my heart, that _I_ could deal the final blow. Well, but that was yet to be debated. I was a tactician, not a murderer.

I didn't even blink when Lyn pulled her sword from Lundgren's middle section. The lord eventually fell to the ground, muttering, "That annoying little girl... Nothing but a savage from Sacae... The Caelin throne... should be... mine..."

And those were his dying words. I shook my head. Lundgren's greed brought about his end.

The battle was over, but we were dead tired that we couldn't even afford to be cheerful. We all stormed to Caelin Castle—all of us dripping wet.

When we entered, Sain threw his cloak to a corner of the castle hallway. The cloak was dripping wet, so he must've thought of doing that. His feet even left wet marks on the red carpet as he walked—all of us did. Anyway, I followed suit and threw my cloak over Sain's. When I looked back, I saw that everyone did the same. We turned a corner in the castle into a heap of wet cloaks.

I walked over to Lyn, and I heard her say, in a tired whisper, "We've won... At last, I can see my grandfather…"

And then a voice said, "You are Lady Lyndis, are you not?"

From the corners of the hallway we saw this man dressed in formal clothes—probably a servant of the duke.

"Who are you?" Lyn asked.

"I am Reissmann, the chancellor of the Caelin royal family. I had received word from Kent and Sain when you first met, but the Lundgren discovered the message and imprisoned me. It is my great pleasure to welcome you to your true home."

"Thank you. May I see my grandfather now?" Lyn didn't have the time for pleasant talk. She asked for her grandfather immediately.

Reissmann understood this, "Yes, of course. Do not be shocked by what you see. Lundgren has been poisoning the marquis's meals for some time. His body has been ravaged... He's been bedridden for months."

I grimaced at the thought of poison, but I was glad at the same time that Lord Hausen lived and endured through the poison…

"Kumi, please come with me," Lyn told me, "I want you to be there."

I didn't find it right to protest, so Lyn and I followed Reissman, leaving the others behind, but only for temporarily, of course.

The chancellor led us to a room, and he opened the door of us. Lyn and I entered, and I closed the door behind, quietly.

There was this old man—gray hair and very frail—on this huge bed. By my judgment I think he is Lord Hausen of Caelin.

"Who is there?" He spoke, voice shaking but still with authority, "I said no visitors. I will see no one."

Lyn's face was a look of sadness, and she took hesitant steps towards Lord Hausen. I stood in my place and stayed silent.

"What are you doing? Leave me... to die..." Hausen whispered. His eyes were all blurred from the poison, I bet. He couldn't even see Lyn clearly…

"Um... Pardon me... My name is... I'm Lyndis."

The lord seemed to come alive with Lyn's statements, "Eh? Did you say Lyndis? Is that..."

"My father's name was Hassar, chieftain of the Lorca. My mother was... Madelyn. I was raised on the plains."

With Lyn's words, Lord Hausen gestured for her to sit beside him on the bed, "Could it be? Come, come here. Let me see your face."

Lyn did as he said, and the lord stared Lyn, and came out saying, "Oh... Yes... There is no doubt... You are Madelyn's trueborn child..."

But then he groaned in pain, and this alarmed Lyn, "Grandfather!"

Lyn, crying, grabbed onto Lord Hausen, and the he held her in an embrace.

"Lundgren told me that my daughter had died," he said, "My heir... and you, too. He told me you were dead. Thank you... Thank you for living. Aahhh... I am blessed..."

"Mother and Father were slain last year by brigands. I... I was the only survivor. I lived on, but..."

I saw that Lord Hausen had tears streaming down his cheeks as well, and his voice shook more when he said, "Lyndis, please forgive a prideful old man. If I had but accepted your parent's love... There would have been no bandits. We would have lived here together in perfect peace."

"Grandfather," Lyn looked up to him, "My parents... My tribe... Our life was one of love and peace. The end was tragic, but... up until the attack, we were truly happy."

The lord managed a small smile, "Truly ? Madelyn had a life of happiness? Knowing that gives me so much joy. Thank you, Lyndis. I can die in peace now..."

"No! Grandfather!" Lyn protested, "You mustn't say that!"

"There's no avoiding it, Lyndis. I've taken too much poison for far too long. It's too late..."

"Be brave, Grandfather! You will recover! Believe me! On the plains, we say that illness fails in the face of a strong heart! I am with you now! You mustn't give up!"

He contemplated her words for a short while, "You're... with me..."

"Yes," Lyn was sounding determined. "We have so much to talk about. Walks to take, music to listen to. There's so much I want to do with you, so much lost time we can recover!"

Lord Hausen started to smile again—now it was the bright, hopeful kind of smile. "That does sound... nice."

"Doesn't it?" Lyn nodded, "And once you're well, I'll take you to the plains. I'll show you the endless sky, the oceans of grass... I want you to know the lands my mother loved so much!"

"The lands Madelyn loved... You're right. I still have... quite a bit of living to do."

"You can do it, Grandfather!" she exclaimed, as she held her grandfather in an embrace again.

"Lyndis..." he whispered, as he stroked Lyn's long black hair. She was still soaked from the rain, but he didn't care.

I found myself wiping back my own tears. My journey and my job is now over. And it's so rewarding to see the outcome of all our battles.

I found the others settled around a dining table, eating soup. They were all in bathrobes, some even drying their hair with towels (I point to Lucius again). It seems Reissman accommodated them—thank goodness.

"Ah, Kumi! Come join us!" Sain was back to his cheerful self. The food must've helped him recover.

I was quick to notice that a certain blonde thief wasn't around, "Where's Matthew?"

Erk answered me, "He disappeared."

That was an inadequate answer, at least to me. "I'll look for him for a while."

"Kumi! It's still raining!" Sain said.

I'm still wet. I didn't care for the rain.

I ran out the castle, where it was still raining, true enough. I ran around in the mud, trying my best not to trip over dead bodies as I did so. I screamed Matt's name.

When I've been doing that for a while now, I decided to stop and give up.

But then, he called me, "Hey."

Darn, Matt. Always one to show up late…

I turned around to face him. "I thought you were gone."

"Supposedly," he said. And then he threw a small pouch toward me. I caught it, and I could feel it had money. "I forgot to return your change."

"I see…"

"I'll take my leave now," he said, casually placing his hands on his belts.

"We haven't paid you yet." I told him.

He grinned mischievously, "Oh, I had my pay. I got to steal a lot of stuff. I made my money, thank you. That's more than enough."

"You're odd."

He just shrugged, and explained, "Kumi, the thief does not stay to party with the group. He disappears when he isn't noticed, taking the group's stuff with him if he can," he winked.

"But I want you to stay."

He approached me, and did that annoying habit of his of patting my hair, ruining it, even if it was wet. "Sorry, kid. I have to move on."

I wrinkled my face due to one word he said, "…_Kid_?"

He grinned at me and said, "You are that to me."

"You will explain," I demanded of him.

He willingly gave me my explanation, "You remind me of my little sister."

He ran his fingers through my wet brown-blonde hair. Now that I noticed it, our hair color looks very similar…

"You have a sister?"

"Yup. She should be about your age now, if she's alive. But she's not."

I raised an eyebrow, and challenged him, "How old am I, Matt?"

"I will bet you all my gold that you are thirteen."

I backed away from him in surprise. "How did you know?!"

He was right about my age. Not a lot of people figure I'm thirteen. I looked a little older than my age, but only by a year or two. It wasn't a big deal. For one Lyn was only eighteen, and Florina was around my age.

"Because I'm skilled with acquisitions of all kinds."

I… was speechless, for once.

"You're too young to be a tactician," he told me.

"And you're too old to be relying on thievery to live."

He shrugged, and then he walked away. As he did, he said, "Anyways, I've got a girlfriend I should be getting back to, just so you know."

…Girlfriend. Somehow, deep inside me, I was feeling jealous. He doesn't like me because I'm young, right? I acted mature, but that's where it ended. Maybe Matt could only be like an older brother to me. I know that he's at least twenty, and…

It hurt, even if little. I felt like a man turned down by a woman after declaring his love… err… alright, maybe that was an exaggeration. But this was Matt's subtle but direct way of telling me that… I was too young for him. Or maybe… ugh, I'm getting a headache. No more thinking. No more thinking…

"This Mark person is waiting for you back in Bern, right? You should get back to him, too," Matthew said, and he was still walking away.

"Hey!" I was alarmed, "How did you know about him?! And Mark is not my boyfriend!"

"Diary!" was all he said, and he vanished into the shadows, gone from my sight.

He read my journal? Ugh. That's as annoying as annoying can be…

"Bye, Matt…" I whispered, and I walked back into the castle. The rain has stopped. I get this little feeling that I'll see Matt again someday.

Back in the castle, I was greeted by Erk, who was at the doorway, holding out a towel to me. "You found him?" he asked.

"He left."

"Good riddance."

I stared Erk, and said, "You have anything against him?"

"He took my money. I just found out."

I laughed.

"Lady Lyndis! Do you honestly plan on remaining here? Tell me truly!" Sain asked, enthusiastically.

It's been a three days since we defeated Lundgren. I've been staying here for that duration in time, so have the others.

"Yes, until my grandfather is well. I can't leave him now. I won't." Lyn answered.

"The physician says that Lord Hausen looks like a new man. It's like he was never ill. And it's all thanks to you, milady," Kent said.

"He's the only family I have left. I want him to have a long life."

"Lady Lyndis!" Florina shrieked and we saw her run towards Lyn.

"What is it, Florina?"

"I've been taken into service by House Caelin!" she said, "From here on, Lyn... I mean, Lady Lyndis... We'll be together always!"

Lyn looked surprised, in the good way. "Really? Oh, that pleases me so... but... Please don't call me Lady Lyndis. For you, I'm still just Lyn."

Florina giggled, and said, "My pegasus and I fly for your house now. I am your servant. There are rules to follow."

"Florina!" Lyn tried to protest.

"I'm happiest when I'm with you. That's more important than how I address you... Please..."

Lyn just smiled, and shrugged, "I suppose I'll just have to get used to it, right? Very well, I understand."

"Oh, thank you!" Florina embraced Lyn, "I do love you, Lyn! Oops! I mean... Lady Lyndis!"

Lyn just laughed, as she hugged Florina back.

Then came Wil, saying, "Lady Lyndis! I've decided to stay, too!"

"Wil? Weren't you planning on returning home?" Lyn asked.

He only scratched his head and said, "Well, I was, but... I've grown quite fond of Lyndis's Legions, you know... I couldn't possibly leave everyone behind. I'll send word to my family regarding my decision."

"I'm pleased to have you, Wil. Thank you."

"Thank you, milady."

Well… I guess it was time for me to be going…

"_Oh, Kumi! Have you seen Lady Lyndis?" _I remembered Serra ask me the other day. I turned to her and saw Erk behind her, with his bag. It looked like they were on their way.

"_I believe she is currently with her grandfather," _I answered, looking up from my journal. I had been writing that time.

"_Oh…" _Serra said, looking thoughtful, _"Well, Kumi, we're going, if you know what I mean. I still have to get to Ostia and Erk is still going to escort me! Could you just please tell Lyn that we're leaving?"_

"_Sure. No problem, Serra. You two take care of yourselves."_

I had walked them to the castle gate, and before they left, I hesitantly gave Serra a hug. She was annoying at her best, but she was still nice when you don't take her the wrong way.

"_Kumi! I'll see you again someday!" _Serra declared when I let go of her, _"And when that time comes, maybe you can be the tactician of my troops or something! Or, do you want to be a vassal?"_

She talked on some more, and I backed away. That wasn't one of the times she was nice.

Erk had pulled me aside, and he groaned, _"I still have to fulfill my contract. I only hope I can endure Serra long enough to see her to Ostia."_

"_Oh, I'm sure you can do it, Erk."_

He had rolled his eyes. And then he pulled out a red tome from his bag—it was a Fire tome. He handed it to me.

"_What's this for?" _I asked him.

"_If you learn to use it, it'd be a great help. You're always traveling alone, correct?"_

Wow… he was concerned for me! I had looked up to him and said, _"Thank you, Erk."_

Serra had been staring at us by now, eyes looking critical. I turned to Erk, and I was unsure if it was my eyes, but… Erk kind of turned red.

"_Uh… You're welcome, Kumiko."_ He was still flushing red. Hmm… why?

I just gave them a smile. _"I'll see you two again someday."_

And then they went away. That was the other day… Now I was running my fingers through the gold engraving on the Fire tome Erk gave me.

And then I remembered that the night after we defeated Lundgren, I helped Dorcas pen another letter to Natalie. It was dark, and we were writing through a lamp. Erk was still there that time, just hovering, and correcting my mistakes. And eventually we had a messenger send the letter to Natalie.

Dorcas had left the day after that. Lyn handed him some money for Natalie. Dorcas looked a little moved… and before he left, Lyn and I hugged him. Dorcas had been kind to me.

Rath disappeared, just like that. I didn't know where he went, but I could guess that he appeared to say goodbye to Lyn.

Lucius went next. I remember a conversation we had when I found him praying…

"_Lucius," _I approached him, _"I've been meaning to talk to you about something…"_

"_Ah, yes. Kumiko," _He greeted me. _"Come here. Is there anything bothering you?"_

I sat beside him and asked, _"You're an Elimine monk. How can you withstand all the violence…?"_

He looked deep in thought, the peace that was usually in his face—gone. He answered, _"Kumiko… I don't really know. I have been fighting using Light magic for a while. I always reasoned in the past that it was for self-defense, and it was bestowed to me by Elimine… so I judged that I should use it. But… sometimes, I feel guilty as well. I am as you are."_

He knew about my problem with seeing the enemies hurt, or killed, or the worst so far, burnt alive. Being blinded by light from light magic was nothing compared to being burnt from anima magic.

"_But you have a gift for tactics. I believe it was given to you for a reason."_

"_And what is that reason?"_

"_I don't know. It is up to you to discover, or decide, what it is. I shall pray for you, Kumiko."_

I was recalling that event, and the time Lucius went away. He left, and I hugged him, not caring if he was a monk or anything. He didn't seem to take it badly, and then he just left.

I remembered that night after we defeated Lundgren—our supper at that time. We had been rejoicing, and Nils played his flute for us. It was a night of fun and music—and for the other's part (Sain and Wallace to be exact) it included some liquor. Ninian was still unable to grace us with a dance, but she was laughing along with us as well. I remember the time Nils played me a tune to sleep. I wished he would do it again for me sometime. But alas, he and Ninian already left.

Wallace stayed a little longer, filling Caelin castle with life with his thunderous laughs, even training some of the soldiers for a while, and then he set off himself. I still have the Knight Crest he gave me.

I sighed. Thinking too much will just halt me from leaving. I packed my things and went on my way. By the door, Lyn, Florina, Kent, Sain, and Wil were there.

"I'm leaving," I told them.

Florina ran to me and hugged me, "Oh Kumi… Are you ever going to come back?"

Sain said, "Oh, Kumi! Why leave? I'd be delighted if you stayed longer! I've yet to introduce you to my fellow knights! I'm sure they'd be drooling at your beauty!"

I giggled. Florina finally let go of me, and I turned to Kent and stared at him.

"…I pray you be safe on your travel, Lady Tactician." He told me, being formal as always.

He was too formal for my tastes, so I approached him and embraced him. He was surprised, but he didn't say anything. Beside him, Sain's face fell.

"That is unfair!" Sain protested, "Why Kent?! Why?! Has he done something I haven't?! I protected you and followed all your orders with my all, Kumi! So why Kent?!"

Just to shut him up, I went to him and hugged him as well. Sain was surprised at first, but he hugged me tightly, and almost didn't let go of me. I had to squeeze myself away from his grip.

And then there was Wil. He smiled at me and tilted his head to the side, saying, "Take care, Kumiko."

"Thank you for saving my live numerous times. Thanks for looking out for me," I told him.

Wil only giggled, and he scratched his head, "It was no big deal. Actually, it just makes me worried that I won't be there to rescue you after this. Take care of yourself."

I hugged him. I like Wil. He's a good guy. He hugged me back, and then I let go. I turned to Lyn.

"I'll walk you to the gate," she told me, and she mentioned that I follow her. I did, and when we went out the door, the others were calling out their goodbyes to me.

"We sure have come a long way," she told me.

I nodded, "It's been so long since you found me on the plains."

"And I never learned much about you, Kumi," she said, "You're so mysterious. I know you're from Bern and studying in a tactician school or something, and that's where it ends."

"I'm sorry," I apologized, "I didn't have time to make myself clear."

"I have a lot I want to ask you," she said, as we walked, "For one, where did you learn to pick locks?"

I giggled, "I learned it out of my friend's boredom. She was bored, you see, so she decided to teach me how to pick locks. It just so happened that Matt gave me a few lockpicks, so I was able to open that one door."

"I see," she said. 

And then I recalled something, "Oh, and Lyn? Did you make the letter I asked you to do?"

"Oh, yes," she handed me a piece of rolled parchment from her robes, "It states that I hired you into Caelin and you were my strategist. I signed it as well, and grandfather did, too."

"Oh, thank you," I took the parchment. Earlier, I had been given my payment as well. "Give my thanks to Lord Hausen as well. He is a good man. I pray for his recovery."

She nodded, and when we reached the gate, Lyn held onto my arm, stopping me from fully leaving.

I turned to her with questioning eyes.

"It's just... I'll miss you," she said. "When I found you unconscious on the plains... I had no idea we would be together for so long. You've helped us so much, and I'm sure you've learned all you can from us. You'll do just fine on your own. I have the utmost faith that you'll be a master tactician, Kumi. That's from someone who's seen you at work!"

I turned to her and hugged her tight. And when we parted, she said, "Well then, take care... I... I hope I see you again. I'm sure that I will someday..."

And so I left Castle Caelin. I was on my way to Bern now, and I heard a great deal of news about the others. I was in an inn, and I took the time to finish off my story about my adventure with Lyn. I wrote down what happened to the others.

_Kent, Knight of Lycia_

_For his bravery in fulfilling his command, Kent is named Knight Commander of_

_Caelin. It is a high honor, for one so young, but no one denies his worth._

_Sain, Knight of Lycia_

_Sain has earned the honor of being named subcommander of the Caelin knights._

_Despite his promotion, he still scoffs at authority and woos the village_

_girls. He is much loved by the citizenry._

_Florina, Pegasus Knight of Ilia._

_Florina has arranged to stay in Caelin. She spends her every waking hour in_

_rigorous training, hoping to become invaluable to Lyn. Her fear of men has_

_lessened, but... only slightly._

_Wil, Archer of Pherae_

_With his cheery outlook and his happy-go-lucky demeanor, Wil has become quite_

_dear to Marquis Caelin's household. Kent is teaching him manners befitting a_

_sworn man of Castle Caelin._

_Dorcas, Fighter of Bern_

_Once Lyn's true heritage is recognized in Caelin, Dorcas returns to his home_

_in Bern. There, he cares for his wife and makes a good living as a mercenary,_

_fighting the local bandits._

_Serra, Cleric of Ostia_

_Ultimately, Erk succeeds in seeing Serra safely to Ostia. While her behavior_

_is irritating at best, she is sorely missed. Her ascerbic tongue has become_

_legendary._

_Erk, the Wandering Mage._

_His contract with Serra complete, Erk sets off for Eturia. His time as a_

_mercenary is just part of his training, and he is glad to see it end. He has_

_since returned to his mentor._

_Rath, the Sacaean Nomad_

_In the celebration following Lyn's return to Caelin, Rath slips out unseen. Whether he_

_has returned to Sacae or has continued to work as a mercenary, no one knows._

_Matthew, the Enigmatic Thief_

_Matthew vanishes after the final battle, and his whereabouts remain a mystery._

_Nils, the Mysterious Musician_

_Nils and his sister, Ninian, take their leave of Castle Caelin after a few days. He may well be traveling the land, mastering his musical skills somewhere._

_Lucius, the Traveling Monk_

_Lucius studies in Caelin for a time, but he departs after receiving summons_

_to another land. He has since been seen traveling with a hard-eye mercenary._

_Wallace, the Caelin General_

_For Wallace, Lyn's struggle only whets his appetite for battle. He sets off_

_in search of a cause worthy of his blade .He lacks any sense of direction, so_

_it may be years before he returns._

_Kumiko, the Tactician_

_Kumi leaves Lyn to return to her home in Bern and then continue her training. She plans on traveling throughout Lycia. Lyn refuses to say good-bye, believing in her heart that she will see_

_her again._

_Lyn, the Swordfighter from Sacae_

_Lyn now lives with her grandfather as Lady Lyndis of Castle Caelin. Under her loving care, Lord Hausen recovers, and now the two of them go for many walks in the Caelin gardens._

_On clear, dry nights, Lyn can be seen high atop a hill near the castle. Perhaps she is remembering the home of her youth, the plains of Sacae_.

----------

**End of Lyn's Tale**

**A/N: I made it! I finished Lyn's Tale! I'm going to make a tactician-related chapter next, and then we're off to Eliwood/Hector's Tale, I hope. Tell me what you think! xD**

Oh. **Very important note: If you, my dear reader, actually want me to continue this fic and go for Eliwood/Hector's tale, do find a game script for me… please? I've searched but I haven't found a complete game script for Eliwood/Hector's tale… I actually want to ditch Eliwood's tale for Hector's (which is more complete). But, alas! I have no script! No script! **

**I have a script from **_GameFAQs _**by **_Agung Pujanata _**but it only covers up to chapter 21 of Eliwood's tale… the part where you fight Vaida, if I'm correct. Maybe I can do up to Chapter 20 only… and, ugh. I really want Hector's tale… it has really good chapters!**

**If you find a complete script, send it to me, or give me the link… for the meanwhile I'll try to do what I can…**


	13. Filler: The Tactician, Kumiko

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Filler Chapter: The Tactician, Kumiko

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Rain.

I was walking in a woods in Bern, certain woods near Bern Keep itself. I looked up to the skies, which now emitted these little water droplets. Rain.

Rain reminds me of Mark… of Anko… of things I'd rather forget…

"_Kumiko, just run for it!"_ Mark shouted to me over the strong downpour. I still remembered it clearly. We were being chased by bandits, and it was raining, to boot. Mark was holding my hand as we ran in the forests, and we stopped for a while. _"I'll go on my own to distract them!"_

"_I'm not leaving you alone, Mark!"_ I told him, and I was crying, only the rain covered it up. _"You're not even a fighter! You're a tactician, like me!"_

"_At least I'm not some defenseless girl!"_ he said, his hand holding onto the hilt of a sword strapped to his belt. It was nothing but a beginner's sword, but to Mark it was better than nothing.

"_Fine! So I am defenseless!"_ I told him, _"And knowing that I am, you insist I go alone?"_

"_What do you take me for? Dumb?"_ he screamed, _"I'm not making you do it if it isn't the best plan! I'm not called a tactician for nothing! Those brigands, if they ever get their hands on you, only Elimine knows what they'd do to you! I may guess, but I don't want to picture it! They'll sell you to some noble house, to some man, in some slave market… and before doing that… well, I don't want to think of it! So just go!"_

I stared into his eyes. They were brown, and they looked intelligent, just like Mark. Only now they were confused. And they weren't dependable as well that moment. Mark lost his eyeglasses along the chase with the bandits, and he might be seeing nothing but blurred images.

We heard the bushes and leaves shuffle, so Mark pushed me away. _"Go!"_

Crying, I ran away as he dictated. I ran in the rain, praying that Mark will be safe. I remembered tripping and falling off a cliff, and the next thing I recalled was Lyn's face and her voice waking me up. It was when I fell unconscious on the plains.

I hate the rain.

It was raining when this person came to our house and told me my parents were dead. My parents were both knights of Bern, and they died in service. They died for a faceless king and a country. They barely even had time for their daughter.

Yet, it was also raining when I found my new home.

"_Hey…" this girl with dark, purplish hair tugged on my sleeves. I looked up to her. She had a man behind her._

"_Are you alone?" She asked me._

_I didn't answer._

"_Father," she turned to the man, "I think she's mute."_

_The man only chuckled, as he crouched down to my form on the ground. He wore armor with the insignia of Bern… I could make a fair guess that he was a knight._

_He stroked my wet brown-blonde hair, and asked, "Why are you here alone in the rain?"_

"…_Because I feel angsty."_

_He chuckled again. He asked, "Where are your parents?"_

"_Probably in hell for not taking care of their daughter and choosing to die for some faceless noble."_

_The girl laughed at that, "That's a nice one!"_

_The man didn't. He shook his head, and said, "You shouldn't hate them."_

"_I don't."_

_He held my hand and got up, "Well, you can come with me and Anko to our house. We'll have you dried off and cleaned in no time. What's your name?"_

"…_Kumiko."_

I lied. It wasn't my name. If I remember correctly, my name had a more noble ring to it. I'm some illegitimate child with a noble—my mother's employer. I didn't want to delve deeper into the issue. I will never be able to comprehend the foolish decisions adults make. Well, anyway, I never remembered my real name. Now that I think back at it, I still can't remember it.

"_Your name is Sacaean," the man told me. "But your hair is same as the color of the nobles of Bern."_

Sure it was. My blood father is a noble. And I didn't know him. My mother did a good job of explaining herself, but I didn't want to understand. To myself, I was alive, and that was all that mattered.

The man who picked me up from the rain and her daughter took me in. His name was Alecto. I told him his name came from the wastelands of Nabata. He laughed, but because I was right. His daughter was named Anko. I told her that her name was Sacaean. She said her mother—who was dead—was Sacaean.

Sir Alecto was gifted with knowledge for tactics. Anko whispered to me one time that he used to be a general of Bern. I didn't know if I should believe her. Her father had the skill of a general, but Anko was a liar. Too good of a liar that right now she's probably learning how to move around without making a sound—with two sacks of gold right over her shoulders. She always said it was her dream to be a spy. With her skill for lying and sneaking around, I knew she'd make a good one.

I was glad to be returning to them to tell them that I made good use of Sir Alecto's lecture to me about tactics. He always treated me like a student. In fact, after he resigned from Bern's military, he sort of started a school for tactics. We call it the Tactician Guild. It has eight members so far, and we were all young, but as Sir Alecto said, we showed promise.

Thoughts of Mark returned to me. That's right. I had to tell everyone of what could've happened to Mark. I hope he's safe… I hope he didn't… die…

My thoughts returned to cheerful when I saw the deeply carved hole in the forest ground, with stone steps leading downwards to a door. Our guild is entirely underground for hiding purposes, I think. I ran my way to the door, and knocked enthusiastically, "Anko? Anyone? It's me, Kumi!"

A few more knocks and the wooden door opened for me, and guess what! The door was opened by Mark himself! Mark! Mark was safe!

"Kumiko?" He was still lacking his glasses, so he had to squint just to see me. I nodded, and I lunged at him and hugged him. I thought he had died. I thought he was gone. I thought I lost him forever. And thankfully I thought wrong.

"Whoah!" He shrieked when I threw myself towards him, and he almost lost balance. The door was shut close by the wind, and I shook Mark quite violently.

"Mark! I thought you… I thought you were dead! I was worried!"

He hugged me back, and said, "C'mon. I can't just die because of that. But look at you!" He pushed me back gently to stare at me. He studied me from head to toe, his eyes still squinting to see, and said, "You've… not changed at all. I was worried."

I raised an eyebrow, "_Not changed at all?_"

He raised his own eyebrow back at me, "Yes. You have a few scrapes and scratches, and your dress is darker from dirt, but you're appearance hasn't change. I'm relieved. You think there is something else I should notice?"

I shook my head.

He sighed, and his hand held my chin, and held my face to examine me again. He stared into my eyes like a jeweler examining a stone, and said, "Your eyes have changed, though. You seem to have learned much. You will tell me about it."

He pulled his hand down, and I teased, "Your eyes haven't changed, Mark. Sure, they are nice brown orbs that show your intelligence, but they're still blurred orbs that see almost nothing. When are you getting new glasses?"

His reply never came, because Anko came into the scene, kicking the kitchen door open with a scream.

"KUMIKO!!" she shrieked and she bounced towards me, her childish actions denying her age of seventeen. She bounced and twirled around on her tiptoes. This was typical for Anko.

"Hey, Anko," I greeted her. "Who's present?"

All of us have been tasked to travel by ourselves the past few months to put everything we learned from Sir Alecto to use. Experience is still the best teacher, as they say. I don't know if Anko went anywhere, though. She and this other girl, Xarin, want to be spies. I wonder if they got employment somewhere.

Instead of answering, Anko lunged for my bag and peered into its contents, like a money-minded thief. Mark was the one to answer me, "Xarin's here. Her injury just healed. The others are still on their own journeys. Sir Alecto is in his study."

"I have to report to him!" I exclaimed, excited. "I have lots of stuff to tell him!"

Anko pulled out the money pouch from my bag, and weighed it. "Ohmigosh! You've earned a lot! You want me to start the counting for you?"

Mark chuckled, and I was about to tell Anko to keep her pilfering hands to herself, but Xarin emerged from a corner of the hallway, running her hand through her long, straight brown hair. I glanced at her right shoulder. She used to have an injury there from falling off the roof of some house. Yes, the roof.

She asked, "What's the fuss here?"

Before a response could come, Anko held out an item—an insignia of some sort, from the money pouch. Mark and I looked puzzled by the item, but Anko's eyes literally shone with… love?

"Where did you get this?!" Anko shook me. Xarin came over to see what was happening. She gazed at the insignia, and I saw a smile on her lips. That was rare. Very rare. Xarin was the reserved, mysterious kind.

I examined the emblem, and then the pouch where it came from. It was the pouch from Matt that contained my change for the Heavy Spear. "This thief I met gave me the pouch, and it had that inside."

"Do you know what this is?!" Anko shook me wildly, while Mark and I were left to be bewildered. "Stare at it!"—she pushed the thing to my face--"This is an emblem for Lycian spies! The person who gave this to you was more or less a spy of Lycia…"

I smacked the palm of my hand to my forehead. Of course. How come I didn't conclude that? Matt had every inch the breeding of a spy…

"Were you close to him?" Xarin asked.

Me? Close to Matt? I made an unnecessary glance at Mark. He noticed it, and he raised an eyebrow in question. He was gonna hate me for my answer. "Well, yes. We were close. Really close."

Mark crossed his arms over his chest, and raised an eyebrow again.

"You think maybe I can work for Lycia? You have connections… maybe you can help me?" Xarin asked, directly.

I shrugged.

Anyways, Anko held up the emblem again, and said, "I'll let father examine it. C'mon, Xarin!"

Anko ran to Sir Alecto's study room, Xarin trailing after her in a more relaxed pace. Mark turned to me, and put a finger on the tip of my nose and lightly pushed it.

"You will tell me later about your adventure _and_ the people you've met, _in detail_."

I managed to giggle—Mark always cared for me. In the brotherly sort of way. I don't know if there's something else aside from that from his point of view, but I like Mark. He's kind, and intelligent, and patient, and understanding, and all those good things… But he was older than me, though.

Well, age doesn't really matter, in this world where noblemen marry girls aged ten or so years younger than them. But I was a normal kid, and I'm not a noble. I hate nobles. I don't want anything to ever have to do with them since my parents died. Lady Lyn was the rare exception. She wasn't an ordinary noble herself.

Sir Alecto has confirmed a while ago that the emblem was indeed the emblem of Lycian spies—from Ostia, to be exact. I could've guessed the moment I caught the smell of Matt's Ostian perfume. I was good with remembering scents, and I like perfumes.

Anko—and even Xarin—beamed with joy about the emblem. I will never understand spies.

Now I was alone with Sir Alecto, and he was browsing though my logbook, occasionally laughing himself out loud. I wasn't surprised. I laughed with him as well. I put down funny moments, such as Sain's mischief, Wallace's loud comments, and even my clumsy actions. When he flipped through the last page of my writings, he closed the book, not noticing the cut the book has received from the ballista arrow.

He put away his reading glasses, and smoothed his hazel brown hair. Sir Alecto always acted very cool and calm, and young for his age, but as I stare at his face now… I've noticed that he's not so young anymore. He's getting older, with all those wrinkles…

He smiled. He had a bright smile, one that will cheer you up, yet also one that had some sort of cunning in them. Anko's smile was just like that as well.

"Kumiko, I can judge that you've learned a lot. You've put a lot of my teachings to use. I can point out some things, though."

I braced myself. This is the part where he scolds me for my stupid mistakes.

"Firstly," he began, his fingers drumming on his desk, "you do not let panic get to you. I can judge that during the first battles, you panicked much that you forget even some of the fundamentals I taught you."

I held in my groan. I know I forgot the fundamentals. I hate myself.

"You only utilized the use of maps during the latter parts. Maps are invaluable to tacticians, you see. The idea of having a thief survey an indoor battlefield and having the map drawn is ingenious, though. Kumiko, you should always get an area's map if you can. If you can't, you make ways so that you'd have some idea of the battlefield's layout. Understood?"

I nodded.

"Next, you have to retain a sense of alertness in the battlefield. I know you're concentrated on giving your orders and keeping an eye on the battle, but don't forget that you're on the battlefield as well, and therefore also a target. And you are defenseless. I can say that weren't some people dedicated to looking after you, you'd probably be dead by now."

I shivered at the thought. He was right, though.

And so went Sir Alecto's teachings. He was my beloved teacher and my father, above all else. He wasn't my blood father, but that was how I treated him. I tried to pay attention and make mental notes of his words.

"But overall, you weren't bad," he said. That was already some form of high praise if you knew Sir Alecto long enough. He's a perfectionist, and he is a flawless tactician. I heard from Anko one time that he wasn't a knight of Bern ages ago, but in fact a tactician of Bern. I wonder why he resigned…

"Thank you, sir!" I told him. I was beaming. I wanted to hug him. I haven't seen him for so long…

He laughed and said, "Were my words that encouraging? I said you weren't bad. No casualties, and you finished your job… you took a lot of risks, though. Risks aren't a tactician's best friend---"

"But you told Jenro that he's much better plowing the fields and shining leather shoes for the rest of his life than practicing tactics! And last time, you scolded Miguel for---"

"Because they needed the scolding," he reasoned. "You don't. What you need is polishing."

I flushed, I just knew it. "Ah… thank you, sir."

He laughed again. It was a relief to hear. And then he said, "Come here, Kumiko, and give me a hug. I've missed you."

I giggled in a girly manner, then I gave him what he asked for. He held me tight and patted my head, like I was his daughter all along. Of course he did that to Anko, too, but she was his real daughter. I wasn't, so I felt happy. Really happy…

"We'll go to town later to get you a new dress," he said, glancing at the green robes I was wearing. Before I left the guild, it was a nice mint green color, and now it was darkened by layers of dust and dirt. I did need the new dress. "And we'll get glasses for Mark as well. He's broken enough things already."

I giggled, and then I got up. "I'll go tell Mark!"

--------------

Later that night, as I was settled on my bed and re-reading my journal of Lyn's Tale, a knock came on the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Mark."

"Oh! Come in!"

Mark let himself in, his fingers fixing the position of the new glasses perched on his nose. I think he needed to get used to them. The glasses were rimless, and they did a good job of accentuating Mark's intelligent eyes. I'm used to seeing him with glasses. And besides, at least he can see now.

He leaned against the wall, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Reviewing my adventure."

He shrugged and said, "Will you let me read that?"

"Sure." I sat up on my bed and handed him the book. He approached me, took the book and then he pulled a chair from my desk, bringing it to my bed.

He browsed through the book, discussing things to me as he did. Mark was his usual intelligent self as he commented about my adventures. Even his smile I could classify as intelligent.

When we finished talking, he said, "You seem to have enjoyed your journey, Kumiko."

I nodded enthusiastically, "I have, I have."

"I wish I could've been there with you."

His words made me recall the price he had to pay for my little adventure. The giddy smile on my face was gone, and I told him, "I'm sorry, Mark. I haven't thanked you yet from sparing me from the bandits."

He shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Sure, I was beat up to some extent, but this mercenary group came to help me. They were from Ilia and they had a job here in Bern. I decided to travel with them, and I practiced tactics with them. I had my own adventure as well. Maybe it was fated that we were separated."

"Well… maybe."

"What are your plans now?" he asked me.

"I… I haven't thought of it yet. Maybe I'll stay here longer, and then I'll go off to travel again. I still have to practice my skills in tactics…"

He nodded. And then he said, "Well, I just pray you don't become a stranger."

What did he mean by that? I gave Mark a puzzled look.

He explained himself, "I hope you don't forget us, or… me due to your travels. You meet a lot of people…"

I pulled Mark closer and I snuggled into his robes. "Oh, of course I won't forget you!" I said. "And everyone else! You guys are my family!"

He laughed mildly, and he pulled away from me, and went to the door. "Well, Kumiko. I'll hold on to those words. And tell me more tomorrow. You have to get some sleep. You're still tired from your travel, I assume?"

Now that he mentioned it, I _was_ tired. Excitement made the weariness vanish, but only for temporarily. Now… all I want to do is shrink into the blankets and sleep…

"Goodnight, Mark…"

---------------------------

**Author's Note:**

Happy Birthday to **Fire Emblem Mew Mew**! Whoops, I forgot to tell you that I'm an Aquarius, not a Pisces. xD

I'd like to take the time to thank the supporters/reviewers of this story for the while, because I didn't get to in the past chapters and I won't in the future. So, everyone... THANK YOU/hug

Tell me what you think of this chapter. xD It's nothing from the script of FE7, just a preparatory while I get Eliwood's lined up. I'm actually playing the game on Hector's mode again. xD Please tell me what you think of this chapter.


	14. Taking Leave

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER ELEVEN : TAKING LEAVE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Once, dragon fought man in a war called the Scouring... Mankind vanquished the dragons thanks to the efforts of eight heroes. These eight mighty generals brought peace to Elibe. The continent was divided into nations, and the people enjoyed an easy prosperity.

"The hero Hartmut settled in the east and founded Bern, famed for its military might. St. Elimine moved west, and her sacred name flourished among the artisans of Etruria. The horseman Hanon's legacy lived on with the nomads of his beloved plains of Sacae. The birthplace of the knight Barigan is now home to the renowned Knights of Ilia. The berserker Durban's final glory was to create a warrior's clan in the Western Isles. The archsage Athos is said to have retired to the barren wasteland of Nabata. The heirs of the champion Roland themselves became the lords of the Lycian League.

"Elibe has enjoyed a peace that spans 980 years... How much longer can this peace stand before its foundations begin to crumble?"

I was reading aloud to myself in the comforts of a village inn. It was morning, and I was enjoying my breakfast _while_ reading this History book. I had to constantly review my "History of Elibe"… it's part of the job, really. I had to know history, geography… and all sorts of stuff, aside from my battle tactics…

Oh. I forgot to explain myself. It's been a year since I aided Lyn in Caelin. I decided, as I told Mark, to travel again. Alone. Mark was a little concerned for it, and he almost came with me, but Sir Alecto assured him that I'll be fine. I heard that he soon went on his way to travel as well. Anko was still her normal bouncy self, and she stayed with her father in Bern. Xarin went on her own to find a job, taking the emblem of Ostia's spies with her. I hope it brings her good luck. Maybe she can get herself hired through it. She has skills, as well. I doubt she'd get a hard time getting hired anywhere.

And so right now I was resting in some village in Pherae, Lycia. It's still pretty near the mountain borders of Bern. Pherae, I remembered, was Lord Eliwood's land. Pherae's usually peaceful, but I heard some rumors…

Pherae is a land that has known no conflict for many generations, but now finds itself touched by a shadow of unease. Its beloved and benevolent ruler, Lord Elbert, has mysteriously vanished... as have a number of his sworn men, loyal knights who serve at his side. A month has passed without word from the marquis. Rumors of his death abound…

I've only met Lord Eliwood for, like, a few seconds… but I pray he's well. I know he's worried sick for his father… anyone with a missing father would be.

I was caught in those thoughts and in another chapter of "The History of Elibe" when the whole inn was suddenly thrown in panic. Someone screamed, "BANDITS!!!"

Darn, just what I needed. Some bandits who think they own the world or something. Bandits were a traveler's worst nightmare. I've ran from them numerous times by now.

In the middle of the chaos, I found a young cavalier helping the villagers hide. He had thick green hair that practically hid his eyes. Trailing after him was a young woman—Rebecca—with her bow and quiver strapped to herself, directing the people as well. I knew Rebecca. She's the village head's daughter. I've been staying in the village for quite a while…

I flipped my history book close and slid it into my bag. I left my breakfast, and I ran out to Rebecca.

"Rebecca!" I called her. "What's going on?"

"Kumiko! There are bandits!" she told me.

"Yes," I told her, "What shall we do?"

She glanced at the cavalier beside her, and told me, "Kumi, this is Sir Lowen. He's a knight of Lord Eliwood… Lord Eliwood's company is here. Maybe they'll help us drive out the bandits… and I'll help!"

"Then I'll help as well!" I said. "Sir Lowen, please… lead us to Lord Eliwood!"

"Y-Yes!" He told us, his voice shivering. He must be new to this…

We followed him past a few more villages, and until we reached Lord Eliwood and this other knight on his steed, with pale, purplish hair. I judged him to be a paladin when I saw the Knight Crest adorning his armor.

"Lord Eliwood! Co-Commander Marcus!" Lowen called the two, "I..."

"Lowen! Calm yourself!" the paladin Lowen addressed as Marcus told him, in his authoritative voice. "A knight must be in control at all times."

"The village is under attack! It's bandits!" Lowen told them, voice still panicked.

Marcus was surprised, "What? Bandits? Here!?"

Lord Eliwood was more reserved. He is unchanged, red hair an all. Calmly, he asked, "Are you sure, Lowen?"

"This girl has more details," Lowen gestured towards Rebecca.

Eliwood gave a nod to Rebecca, prompting her to explain. "My lord Eliwood? I'm the daughter of the village magistrate. My name's Rebecca. The bandits came without warning. They're stealing everything! I beg you! Please help us!"

"I see," Lord Eliwood mused. He almost instantly added, "Marcus! Lowen! We must aid the village!

"Yes, milord!" the two knights chorused.

"Rebecca, stay here, and keep out of sight." Lord Eliwood told Rebecca.

"If it please you, milord, I would rather fight," Rebecca told him. "I hunt almost every day, and I have some skill with a bow."

"Is that so? Very well, but be careful!"

"Yes, milord."

I appeared to be forgotten so I pulled on Lowen's sleeve. He remembered I was there, so he lightly pushed me towards Lord Eliwood and said, "Lord Eliwood, one more thing. There is another in the village who has offered to help. A traveling tactician who was staying at the inn. Milord. This is…"

His words trailed off. He didn't know my name. Lord Eliwood, however, studied me. A smile brightened his face when he exclaimed, "Kumiko!"

"Do you know this person, milord?" Lowen looked puzzled.

"Yes, I met Kumiko during the trouble in Caelin last year. A fantastic military advisor, if memory serves. If not for Kumiko, the marquis of Caelin and his granddaughter, Lyn, might not have survived Lundgren's uprising. What brings you to Pherae, my friend?"

I blushed at Lord Eliwood's words. _Fantastic military advisor?_ He flatters me much…

I smiled at him and answered, "Well… pursuit of knowledge and experience. Something to that extent, Lord Eliwood."

He laughed mildly, and then said, "Of course... A worthy pursuit. Let's give thanks to providence for our chance reunion. We have need of your aid. Please lend us your skill."

I nodded, and I got down to business. Time for tactics. We've been in the villages so I knew that the enemies were axe-wielding bandits and the like. But I also knew that they were just that—bandits. These aren't professional soldiers or the like. Mayhap Lord Eliwood and Lowen can gain some experience from this battle, too… Marcus, being a paladin—a promoted knight, looked like he can handle those thugs with ease on his own. So how would Lord Eliwood and Lowen learn if he takes arms as well?

Sir Marcus stalled beside me. He seems to have read what I was thinking about letting the others have experience. As Lord Eliwood and Lowen fought, he was pointing out mistakes and corrections in their fighting. That was something I couldn't do. I wasn't a fighter. I can't point out mistakes in fighting and such… I can barely assess someone's skill with a weapon… that was something I needed working on.

I glanced Rebecca. She seemed to be doing fine as well with her bow. Actually, the way she ran around with it and shot arrows reminded me of Wil.

I was mistaken. I didn't at all need tactics for this battle. It was just a huge arena where they could gain experience. Sure, I kind of noticed that Lord Eliwood and Lowen and Rebecca's skills weren't top notch… but Marcus was there to point out their mistakes and to tell them to watch out or the like.

Suddenly a wild scream came from the mountains, and I found two axe-wielders come to Lord Eliwood's aid. The other axe-user looked familiar… oh my gosh… is that…

"Dorcas!!" I ran to him, right after he slashed some bandit dead. The area had been clear of enemies, so I found it right to do that. I jumped at him and hugged him, like he was my father.

"Kumiko?" he turned to me, one hand keeping his axe well away from me. "Is that you?"

"Yes." I let go of him. "How are you? How's Natalie?"

"Now isn't the best time to catch up," he told me. There were still a few enemies around, and it looked like Lord Eliwood and the others needed help. Before he left, he introduced me to this other axe-user… Bartre. He was… a jolly fellow. He sort of reminded me of Wallace.

------

Well, anyways, we got rid of the bandits. It wasn't a hard task. I found Lord Eliwood and Marcus talking to the village magistrate (Rebecca's father) so I decided to listen in.

"Ah, you would be Lord Eliwood, yes? Our deepest thanks for coming to the aid of our fair village." The magistrate said.

"Think nothing of it," replied Lord Eliwood with a smile. "It's a lord's duty to protect the citizenry."

"Would that were true, milord. The good folk of Laus know no such protection," the magistrate said. "Their marquis, Lord Darin, is too busy preparing for war. He ignores all complaints of bandits and thieves."

That came as a shock. Even I didn't know that! "Preparing for war? Are you sure?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"I would not lie, milord. My brother lived in Laus until a few days ago. His home was torched, and he had no choice but to flee here. According to him, Laus could go to war any day now. It's all the people of Laus are talking about."

Marcus spoke, "Lord Eliwood, if this is true, the situation is a grave one. If Marquis Laus is readying for war... His target is most likely another Lycian territory. Perhaps this is connected to Lord Elbert's disappearance."

Lord Eliwood looked puzzled, but then he just nodded. "My father and Marquis Laus? It seems a tenuous connection, but it's as good a start as any. Let us travel to Laus. We must learn more."

------------

While Marcus and Lowen were getting ready to leave, I decided to chat with Dorcas. Wow! It's really been a year! It sure brings back memories…

"So, how are things, Dorcas?" I asked him.

"Fine." He answered. "I've been hired by Marcus to help in Lord Eliwood's quest. How about you, Kumi?"

Oddly, he wasn't so short on words this time. "I can't believe it's been a year," I told him. "I'm traveling again."

He nodded, and suddenly said, "It's metal bound?"

I gave him a puzzled look. He pointed to the brand new logbook in my bag.

"Oh, yes." I told him. "This is a new one, though."

Then Bartre came into the scene, giving a gung-ho greeting to Dorcas. Dorcas remained passive, like he usually is. Then Bartre turned to me, his eyes questioning. I returned the look to him.

"Er… Who are you again?"

"Kumiko," I answered. "The tactician."

"Tactician?"

I nodded. "Yup. I make… plans."

"You don't fight?"

I shrugged. "Well… I help you fight."

Bartre looked like he didn't understand. I just giggled at him. He was about to say something, but Lord Eliwood pulled me aside.

"Yes, Lord Eliwood?" I asked him.

"Where are you bound for next?" He asked importantly. "If you have no destination in mind, perhaps you could travel with us. Ours is a small group, with a single purpose-- to find my father. I do not know where our road will lead, but... We would be stronger with you in our company."

Wow! Did this sound like a job offer?! Yipee! "Well, Lord Eliwood, I don't really have an exact place to go to so maybe… Yes. I can come with you"

"Splendid!" he exclaimed. "Thank you! I pray we give you no cause to regret your decision."

After that, we were ready to go. We were going to Laus, if I heard right. When we were just leaving, Rebecca ran after us. It seems she wants to join us, and Lord Eliwood agreed.

I was getting excited. Well, I already was! This is the start of my new adventure! I have new things to write on my new logbook! Yes!

**End of Chapter.**

**------**

Author's notes: Some stuff to some people first.

**Derra: **Thanks for reading my other fic. : D I've decided I'll make chapter two or continue it for you, by your request.

**BlackGoldFiccies Inc: **For scripting the remaining chapters for me. Thank youuuuu!!! Everyone else! Thank BlackGoldFiccies Inc!!!

**DarkBlaziken: **Will work on SerraxErk. wink Thanks for the comments on my other story, and don't fret, because in that story Matt just gets wounded. His wound will still heal over time. xD

**Krista: **I'm glad you liked me putting Mark in there at the last chapter. He's a strong figure in the game, I can't just ignore him. xD

**Terran34: **Thanks for those reviews. :D I'm excited for your fic as well!

**Fire Emblem MewMew: **Do you still have some cake left over from your birthday? X3

I started the new tale from the tactician's POV as usual, and in the game she appears to Eliwood from an inn. So no description on whatever happened to Hector's mode now. But don't worry, Hector chapters will appear and Hector characters will, too, and Hector only text as well!

BTW, possible pairings to arise in the story… I will list them now as to get reactions from people. These are just possibles, not definites. But do tell me what you think.

SerraxErk (by DarkBlaziken's request), HectorxLyn or HectorxFarina, NinoxJaffar or NinoxErk, GuyxMatt (not for yaoi, they're just real good friends here), LegaultxHeath (I like how Legault teases Heath, but nothing yaoi again), LegaultxIsadora (I don't like Harken one bit), SainxLucius (lol), and… ugh. Exhaust. I'll continue the list later. Tell me if you guys have any nominations. And nominations for who ends up with the tactician. Yay!

I'm quite busy with my artwork for the meantime, but I'll update, no worries.

SHAMELESS PLUG!!! xD

If anyone here doesn't mind spoilers, do read my FE6 story, _The Queen of Bern_. It's my novelization of FE6, and thus the part two of this story. But if you don't like spoilers, by all means avoid that fic… for the meantime.

Kageshoujo out! xD


	15. I forgot the Title

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**CHAPTER TWELVE : BIRDS OF A FEATHER**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_After speaking with the village magistrate, Eliwood and company set their sights on Laus. The road from Pherae to Laus passes trough Santaruz. Eliwood suspects his missing father must have visited Santaruz en route to Ostia. Eliwood arranges a meeting with the local ruling lord to see what he can learn._

_-Kumiko's Journal_

"Instead of entering Laus with such a small group, we should meet with Marquis Santaruz and request his assistance... I see the sense in that. It's a good plan, Lady Kumiko."

_Lady Kumiko? _Wow. I'm too young for that. I'm only fourteen…

Well, anyway, I suggested that we ask aid from Marquis Santaruz first before proceeding to Laus. Marquis Santaruz, as far as I know, was a good friend and almost a father to Lord Eliwood. I doubt he can turn us down in our plight.

"Truly so. I tell you again, I'm pleased to have you with us," Lord Eliwood told me. Agh, he's making me blush. It's not everyday that a handsome lordling praises you. "Lord Helman... He's not only my father's friend. I've known him since I was a child. I'm sure that he will help us."

I was about to speak something, but then this… person approach us. Just a mere glance at him made me conclude that he was some sort of bandit or mercenary… the bad kind, yes.

Marcus immediately stepped forward and blocked us from the man.

"Heh heh heh... Noble sires, alms for a poor villager." He told us, in his creepy voice.

"Poor villager? You look nothing like an honest man," Marcus said. "Clear the road. Step quickly or..."

"Step quickly? Heh heh... Good advice. Maybe it's you who should follow it!"

The man suddenly attacked Marcus with a weapon, but Marcus evaded without fail. He was surprised, though.

"Someone wants the boy in an early grave," the enemy said. "A shame if you ask me, but he'll die here today. C'mon, boys! Earn your keep!"

When he said that, I found other bandits come out… in the forests, in the mountains… I felt them. And then that man who spoke to us… he suddenly vanished. The coward ran, I'm so sure of it. But nevertheless, this marked the start of a battle.

"Everyone! Prepare yourselves! We fight!" I told them, and we started taking action. I pulled a very recent map of the area from my bag. Before I left Bern, Mark made sure I had the latest maps. I think I actually spent all the gold I earned from helping Lyn in buying maps. Thankfully I had a map of Santaruz. I analyzed it… hmm… there are a few 'choke points' I could use to our advantage here… I'm still betting the enemies are mostly axe-users, if they're only bandits. If they are, as the enemy hinted, being ordered around by another person of higher status, then maybe the group they have is more balanced…

I quickly formed a battle plan in my head. I had confidence that we could handle this situation still. We attack, and Marcus warns the village nearby. We still had the few citizens nearby to think of. But Lord Eliwood trusted their lives to me, so I'll do my best. And maybe trust on their own skills as well!

"Here we go again, eh, Kumiko?" Dorcas alarmed me by speaking. He was ready to fight, with his steel axe in his big hands. "Just like old times... Seems our fates are bound."

I nodded, and I remembered to ask about Natalie.

"Natalie? Oh, she's still in Pherae. I'm working for you this time, so she's not too worried."

"You moved?" I asked him. Last I knew, he lived in Bern, like me…

He only nodded, and we said no more, because it was time to fight. Lord Eliwood and the others were already engaged in their battles.

I scurried along and visited the houses nearby. I learned that information gathering was valuable as well. I remembered Matt. A year ago, it was his job to gather information… now that we had no thief in my group, it was my job. I couldn't fight, so it was the least I could do.

"I saw them, I did. About a month ago..." The man I asked told me when I asked him about Marquis Pherae, Lord Elbert. This was in a house nearby the battlefield. "Marquis Pherae and his men passed right through here. They've all gone missing, haven't they? A group as strong as that just up and vanishing... Could have been bandits, but... I don't believe it. Must've been something terrible. The world's become a dangerous place, it has."

I wrote down some the stuff he said. _Marquis Pherae passed by Santaruz with his men. Couldn't have been bandits. Bandits are no match for Lord Elbert's knights, I bet. Unless of course…_

When I exited the house, still looking into my logbook, I saw an arrow fly towards me. I didn't bother evade it, I just raised my logbook in defense and it deflected the arrow. Ha ha ha ha! That's because it's bound in silver—about an inch thick, too! (And it cost me a fortune, as well.) I examined the logbook to see if it was scratched. There was a slight scratch, but nothing that polish couldn't fix. Yes! I've proved myself that it was a sound investment!

The happiness vanished fast. After Marcus handed me something called a 'Secret Book', we marched onwards to something short of doom. I didn't know there were many enemies… they even had some soldiers, some pegasus knights, and mercenaries…

"Lord Eliwood, watch out!" I screamed, as I was applying some vulnerary onto one of Bartre's wounds. He's gotten himself carelessly cut up… but they weren't so deep. I looked up to see Lord Eliwood evade an axe swing, and he defeated the enemy. I muttered a thanks to the heavens.

"How many are there? This looks---" Lord Eliwood screamed, out of tiredness, I bet. He wasn't able to finish the rant because another enemy attacked him, and he fought again, with aid from Rebecca's arrows.

"There!" I finished applying first aid to Bartre's cuts. He got up and started slashing again, like a warrior with such lust for battle. He looked like he enjoyed himself. At least someone among us had fun.

I was crossing my fingers and sending a prayer to Elimine that we be safe. A group of six and one tactician against a horde of enemies? Please. Please… Well, not that I believed much in Elimine's teachings…

"Kumiko!" Rebecca shouted, and I just noticed the pegasus knight about to stick me to death. I gasped, and was relieved when one of Rebecca's arrows impaired the pegasus. I thanked the heavens again.

Perhaps my prayers were heard, because the answer came when a group of four suddenly arrived and helped us fight the thugs. Two heavily armored men—one I could judge to be the younger brother of Marquis Ostia. I had a fair knowledge on the monarchs, so I could recognize him. The other heavily armored knight had a steel helmet to protect his head, so I couldn't make out his face. The remaining two…

The blonde hair, the swift motions, and the red cloak looked all too familiar. His motions were so fast that I had to strain my eyes just to stare at his face.

…Matt…

For a second, he saw me, and gave me his boyish grin, and he winked. I turned as red as a tomato, I knew it. I just knew it. Mark always told me how I blush so furiously. Damn, whatever am I gonna do with this infatuation for Matt?! It must be forgotten… yes… yes…

The last person was all too familiar as well. It was Serra, pink ponytails and all. She didn't see me, because she immediately ran to Lord Eliwood to tend to some minor injuries. Serra was noisy at best, but when it came to the battlefield, she actually sometimes made herself useful. Sometimes.

I shook my head as to snap myself to my senses. Alright! It was time to put another plan to action! We've got more allies now, so I already had a plan for a swift victory.

-----

So the plan was carried out, and the head honcho of the enemies was eliminated. Every enemy was. I heard the victory theme yet again. I thought we were all goners earlier, but the four allies that arrived help turn the tide around.

I carefully walked through dead bodies to a clearing in the field, where Lord Eliwood was talking with our heavily armored rescuers. I arrived early enough to see the armored person with blue hair say, "Whew... Is that all of them?"

"Hector!" Lord Eliwood addressed the person as 'Hector'? Oh, right… he was the young brother of Marquis Ostia. "Where did you come from?"

Instead of answering, he just gave Lord Eliwood his plain face (which was, to me, kind of scary) and said, "Well met, Eliwood.

"Yes, but... what are you doing here?" Lord Eliwood asked again.

"You wound me!" Lord Hector exclaimed.

Lord Eliwood looked puzzled. "How do you mean?"

"You're looking for your father, right? Why didn't you send word?" Hector asked, and I could sense by his tone that he was irritated.

"Your brother was just named Marquis Ostia. He's going to be very busy setting up his court council. Lord Uther must need your support. You are his brother, after all." Eliwood replied.

"My brother is not so weak. Oh, he has mentioned some things in public, but... He knew exactly what I was planning, and he let me go.

Eliwood put up a smile. "Is that so? Well then, it would be unwise to refuse his kindness! It does me good to see you, Hector. Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." Lord Hector said. And then he gestured towards the red-armored knight. Earlier he had a helmet, too, but now he's removed it, revealing his brown hair and his thirty-ish looks. "You know Oswin, don't you?"

"Well met, Lord Eliwood." Oswin greeted.

"It is good to see you again, Oswin. So you came as well?"

"Yes. Lord Uther was worried about Lord Hector traveling alone. I've been ordered to keep a close eye on him."

Lord Eliwood laughed. Of course. Lord Hector looks like the type who gets himself in trouble. "Ha ha ha! Of course! Good to have you with us."

"Lord Hector! Why didn't you tell me the fighting was done!?" I knew that squeaky voice all too well. It was Serra.

"I apologize for the interruption. I couldn't restrain her any longer!" Matthew said, as he was holding Serra by the shoulders, because the cleric showed signs of venting her annoyance on Lord Hector.

Eliwood knotted a red eyebrow, and asked, "Are these your companions, Hector?"

"Oh... Yes, I suppose they are. One might have hoped for better, but..."

I unintentionally giggled at Lord Hector's words. Serra and Matthew… of course one could hope for better! Ha ha!

I caught Matt raise an eyebrow at me, as if to tell me off for laughing at him. Serra ignored me, and protested to Lord Hector, "That was uncalled for! I can't believe you said that! Matthew, did you hear what he said about you?"

"Me? He was talking about you!"

Eliwood giggled as well, and then he suggested, "Hector, why don't you introduce us?"

Hector rolled his eyes, but he said, "The noisy one is Serra. Believe it or not, she's a cleric."

Serra pulled Matt's hands off her crudely, and then turned to Lord Eliwood, "Yes, I am Serra, my lord. Pleased to meet you."

"And that's Matthew," Lord Hector gestured towards the thief… and spy. "He does a lot of... sneaking around."

"My lord." The thief greeted Lord Eliwood.

"Sneaking... around." Lord Eliwood repeated suspiciously.

Matthew had to defend himself. "Well... I, er... gather information, open doors, chests and such. I've got... nimble fingers."

"That sounds... like a thief's work..." Lord Eliwood pointed out.

Matt just shrugged, and Lord Hector said, "Well... Don't let it worry you. This journey... I suspect it will be harder than you imagine. You may have to accept things like this if you want to survive."

"What is it, Hector? Do you know something?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Nothing specific. Rumors abound, though. A league of assassins from Bern has been moving around in Lycia. Experienced bounty hunters and mercenaries are vanishing..."

I opened my logbook. I had to take down notes. _Group of assassins moving around in Lycia? …Black Fang? Maybe not, and I certainly hope NOT the Black Fang…_

"That reminds me. One of the men who attacked us said something odd." Lord Eliwood looked thoughtful as he said that.

"What was it?"

Marcus's voice suddenly intervened, "Lord Eliwood, if I may?"

Lord Hector and Marcus greeted each other, and the Sir Marcus came down to business. "Of course. The apparent leader of that gang of thugs... He indicated that someone was watching Lord Eliwood... That someone needed him dead."

"Hmm... That is troubling. Actually, a captain of the guard was watching the fight when we arrived. He was a knight of Santaruz, and yet he just stood there and let a lord be attacked. I think he was planning on seeing Eliwood die…" Lord Hector revealed. A knight of Santaruz? Meaning Santaruz is involved in this? Hmm…

"So, Kumiko. What do you think?"

I looked up from my logbook and snapped from my thoughts when I saw Lord Eliwood before me. Lord Hector was still talking to Marcus.

I gave Lord Eliwood my answer. "In my humble opinion, Lord Eliwood… If what Lord Hector said about a Santaruz soldier just letting you be attacked is true… then Santaruz is involved in this. I don't know if you noticed, but some of the enemies we just fought were Santaruz soldiers. But you said that Marquis Santaruz treated you like his own son… there may be chance that something happened to the marquis."

He thought of my words for a while and then he nodded. "You might be right. Something may have happened to Lord Helman…"

"Eliwood! Who is this?"

I saw Lord Hector before me, eyes examining me critically. I dressed up in light green robes that fell above my knees, with my messenger bag slung onto me. He must be puzzled. I look like an innocent civilian in the middle of knights and such… Rebecca at least had a weapon. I didn't. Lord Hector must be intrigued.

"This is Kumiko," Lord Eliwood introduced me. "I require tactical aid in the search for my father, and..."

"Oh, I see," Lord Hector said, thoughtfully. "So this is who directed the battle plan back there, hm?"

"Well, yes, that would be me, Lord Hector," I told him.

He nodded. "You know, Kumiko, you're very young. We've many strategists in Ostia, but none so young. And none are women. Eliwood, are you sure about this one?"

It was annoying, how he doubted me just because of my age, of my innocent looks, and because I'm a girl. This is why I never tell anyone my age. If they'd have known I was at the tender age of adolescence, no one would hire me, I bet. That's why I try to act as mature as I can… but of course there are occasional slips…

"Kumiko is still a student of military strategy, but... We've received nothing but sound advice so far. Kumiko has my trust."

I blushed again. Lord Eliwood had nothing but kind words for me, as usual. "Please, Lord Eliwood. You flatter me much…"

Lord Eliwood only laughed mildly again, while Lord Hector told me, "All right. I suppose I shall witness your skills firsthand." He offered a hand to me, and I took it, and we shook hands. "Well met, Kumiko."

"Well met, Lord Hector. I will not let you down."

------

Soon we got moving again, towards the castle of Santaruz. I had a feeling that this journey of Lord Eliwood was going to be longer that we all think…

"Hello!" I received a sudden tap on the shoulder. I knew that voice and I wish I shouldn't have. It was Matt. "How have you been, Kumiko?"

"I'm fine, Matt." I tried to make a normal conversation and hide the fact that I was trying to trash my tiny infatuation for him. It must be forgotten. It _shall_ be forgotten. "What about you? Your secret's revealed."

"Eh?" he looked puzzled. "My secret's revealed? …Oh, that. Yes, it's true. My guise as a common thief was but a ruse. I've served House Ostia for some time as a spy of sorts! Surprised?"

"Not. You put your insignia in my money pouch, if I recall."

"Oh, yes…" he said, thoughtfully. I wanted to think that he didn't misplace it and instead put it there intentionally. Maybe he thinks I'll hate myself or something if I found out that he was a spy and I didn't even notice. Hah. If I'd known he'd do that, I would have put an emblem of Bern's military in his bag. _Then _he can squeeze his head out trying to figure if I'm a military tactician for Bern Keep or not. (But the Bern military emblem was just a souvenir from Sir Alecto.)

"The emblem of Ostian spies," he continued. "Well, I'll give you some news. Your friend Xarin has been hired by House Ostia as a spy! In fact, I actually recommended her to Lord Uther."

I was surprised. "Xarin? You helped her?"

"Of course! She's got skills, and she's really pretty. I left to join Lord Hector, so she's stayed in the castle to attend to Lord Uther's… need for information."

Hmm… Granted, Xarin was a beauty, but Xarin was cold and mysterious and… very spy-like. Ugh. I shall not care for that… I don't care if he thinks Xarin's pretty…

"Well, regardless," he draped an arm over my shoulder, "it looks like we'll be traveling together again."

I shrugged his arm off. "You're the last person I want to be traveling with again."

"Awww…" he feigned a hurt look. "I looked forward to it. I was looking forward to saving your _careful_, _attentive, _and _alert _self from some enemy again."

Ugh. Sarcasm. So I was careless, inattentive, and clumsy. Maybe I was, but I don't need his rescuing!

Sensing my anger, he put a hand on my head and patted it again. Damn, he ruined my hair.

"No, seriously, Kumi. It's nice to see you again."

And then he trailed off to chat with Oswin. Seriously, that Matt--!

…Ugh. There's nothing I can do about him.

There was still one person for me to greet, though.

I tapped Serra lightly on the shoulder. When she saw me, she shrieked.

"Eeeeeeee! Kumiko! Is it really you? It's been far, far too long! You missed me, didn't you? Of course you did. I knew it."

I just laughed. I told her, "Well, we can put it that way. What are you doing with Lord Hector, Serra?"

"Hm? Didn't I tell you before? I'm in the employ of Ostia, Lycia's ruling territory. I'll be here to help you just like before! Aren't you lucky!"

"Yep. I'm lucky."

-------------

And so we continued marching to Castle Santaruz. There was an odd feeling coursing through me this time. No, my dear friends, it is NOT jealousy or the infatuation for Matt growing into love. It was nice to see him again, though… Huh? What am I talking about?! I shouldn't even talk about that!

What I mean is, Lord Eliwood's presentation of his mission seemed simple: To find his father. But I had a feeling it was going to be more complex than that…

**End of Chapter.**

----------------

Author's Notes:

The return of Matthew!!!! X3

Whoosh, I was exhausted from college. As some of you may know now, I am a sixteen-year-old college student taking up pre-law (legal studies). I know, I'm too young for college. I'm surrounded by older people and all… but I try my best to keep up to par with them. So that's kind of where I get Kumiko's being a young tactician.

Finals are coming, so study days are here again…

Oh, I updated early for this reason… ::: … it's going to be summer vacation here. That means… I'll be gone for three months, gasp! because of the summer vacation here, from late March to May. I might not be able to update during those months…

Thanks for all the suggestions for the pairings! I hope you guys are still with me no matter what pairing comes up. xD

And **DarkBlaziken**, you're right. This is not MattxTactician. At least not romance. I still have to think about it, because I also adore MattxLeila.

And everyone thank **Angie** for scripting the remaining chapters for me!!

SHAMELESS PLUG!!!

Soon to Come: "In-Sain for Lucius"

This is a humor fic by my brother, **abyssjoey**. It takes my tag for Sain as In-Sain, and it has a cameo appearance from Kumi! The tactician there is Jenro, Kumiko's friend from the tactician guild (and my brother's n00b tactician). And it's spoiler-free! Here's an excerpt…

_Sain pouts. He went to the prison himself. Until his life was changed forever by an angel of cheeky beauty..._

_"Gorgeous...she's...gorgeous..." Sain said, after his door key faded like 'poof'._

_(This angel is Lucius.)_

_"Hello," Lucius said to Sain, "it's a pleasure meeting you, sir knight."_

_(Sain is stupefied by Lucius' beauty.)_

_"Oh! Lord Raym--! I have to go!!" Lucius runs outside the cell...with "elegance"._

_"She's one beauteous chick..." Sain said to himself--unaware of every surrounding he has--for short, he was daydreaming...daydreaming of Lucius' and their about-to-grow love for each other._

Lol lol lol! It's really funny, so please read it when it's done! xD

And my brother says he plans to make a parody of this fic (the journey in…), which he will entitle _The Humor in the Journey of Fire Emblem Blazing Sword_ ! Lol lol lol!! xD But Jenro (the tactician who escaped from a mental institution, the one that Sir Alecto said was 'better off polishing shoes for the rest of his life") stars here, and not Kumi. Kumi only appears as a ghost (or the Tactician Goddess) o.0

See 'ya guys in the next chapter! - kageshoujo


	16. In Search of Truth

--

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN : IN SEARCH OF TRUTH**

_Eliwood enters Santaruz, only to be attacked by a strange group. In a desperate moment, he is rescued by a childhood friend, Marquis Ostia's younger brother, Hector. The assailant's leader reveals that an unknown party seeks Eliwood's head... Eliwood cannot help but think this is related to his father's disappearance. In search of more traces of his father's footsteps, Eliwood sets out for the castle of Lord Helman, the Marquis of Santaruz._

"There's the castle, Eliwood!" Lord Hector announced, enthusiastically. Yes, Santaruz Castle was in our sights… not too far now…

"We have to speak with Lord Helman..." I heard Lord Eliwood speak. I wasn't paying much attention, because I was flipping through the _Secret Book_ that Marcus gave me the other day—an item he received from some villagers. He found it right to give me the thing. The _Secret Book_ was an old book, leather bound, with instructions on fighting and where the critical points of the human body were. It was explained so that swift kills would be possible. I was, like, _eeewww._ I still didn't want anything to do with killing. I've gotten used to seeing enemies die, but so long as my hands aren't stained red, I can manage to sleep at night.

I thought of the possibilities with the _Secret Book_. I wasn't going to learn from it, as scholarly as I may seem. I should just give it to someone in our group. Someone who seems like he or she needs it. Maybe Dorcas or Bartre? I've seen the way the others--such as Matt and Rebecca—fight swift battles by targeting critical areas in their enemies. Axe-users seem to just swing around their axes aimlessly, so…

"That's not gonna happen, laddie!" A scream suddenly snapped me from my thoughts. I saw a man in an armor knight's armors… And those emblems on his armor—those were of Santaruz! He was escorted by some soldiers, and judging by those words he said to Lord Eliwood, he was not a nice man…

"Who are you?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Who am I? Ah, boy, you'd do better to worry about yourself. You'll be worm's meat before much longer."

Lord Hector stepped forward, but he had to push through Oswin a little. "You think so? I think,"—he pulled his axe from it's strap—"I think my axe'll change your mind."

"Ha!" The knight laughed at Lord Hector's threat. "The cub thinks he's a wolf! Does your bite match your bark? Tell you what: if you make it to the castle alive, we'll find out, eh? Geh heh heh hehhh!"

And then they retreated to the castle. Lord Hector and Lowen beside me almost gave chase, but I stopped them. It wouldn't be good to engage them on the spot. Reinforcements and such might still arrive, or something to that nature.

"Lowen. Hold." I told him, and I caught his horse by its reins when it edged forward. "We stay here and make some sort of plan first. Jumping after them isn't a wise decision… it may be a trap."

Since his hair practically covered his eyes, I couldn't tell if he was staring at me or what. I swear, it's annoying how you can't see someone's eyes… I'm telling Sir Marcus to have Lowen cut his hair or something.

"I see. You are so wise, Kumiko, despite being young and a girl."

I giggled. "I'm too young to be wise," I told him. "I'm still an amateur."

"…Just like me?" He asked.

I nodded. "Yup. Just like you."

He produced a brief laugh of some sort, and then he nodded. "Yes! As a journeyman knight of Pherae, I'm here to serve Lord Eliwood and you, Kumiko! I await your command!"

I giggled again. It's nice having someone tell something like that to you, huh? I feel flattered!

But still, it's time for business. The group was readying their swords and lances and axes and staves, while I was searching around in my bulging bag for the map of the area. I swear! I so swear, I need to buy a new bag or something for these maps…

I sighed, still struggling, and I saw Lord Hector and Matthew and Oswin from the corner of my eye. Oh, I bet Lord Hector was studying me critically! I know he doesn't trust me yet…

"Hey." I felt a hand tap me on the shoulder. I knew that voice all too well. Matt. "You need any help?"

"Lycia, eastern region, Santaruz castle," I told him, just like that. I think he understood what I meant.

"Really, Kumiko…" he told me, as he also searched my messenger bag for the map. "If you want to impress Lord Hector, you gotta do sooo much better than this… I know Lord Eliwood trusts you, but that's 'coz he's naïve. Lord Hector's a lot more difficult…"

"I'm not here to impress anyone but myself!" I told him, as I triumphantly held up the map we were looking for. Yes! Finally!

"And that's," he put a hand on my head and pat it, "one of the nicest things about you."

I didn't know how, but somehow I managed not to blush. Maybe the daily meditation of must-forget-Matt stuff was useful. Or maybe because I lied. I did want to show Lord Hector that I wasn't a good-for-nothing, young and naïve tactician, and a girl, to drag.

After I studied the map, I called the group over. I took a good glance at all of them before I spoke, and I noticed the amount of garbage…. Er… equipment that we were carrying around. It was going to be unbearable in the future, if our items kept piling up…

I laid the map down in front of them. "It's still quite a distance to the castle. I assume,"—I circled an area on the map—"that this is the radius of our battlefield. To our right is a village and a possible shortcut to the castle, but it's separated from the land by a river. Dorcas and Bartre could take that path by—" I pointed to another huge tree by the river, "—making a bridge from any conveniently placed item. Do warn the village there as well. You know how this goes, right, Dorcas?"

Dorcas nodded. "Yes."

"Matt and I are tasked to visit the houses in the area, if there are any. Sir Marcus can go warn this village here—" I pointed to the village, "—because some bandits may view this as chance to raid the villages. We should warn them to lock up. The rest follow the main path to the castle. If my assumption is right, there'd be a majority of lance users and such, so maybe Lord Hector and a few lance-wielders can lead?"

I looked up to Lord Hector, and he turned to me as well. I hope he didn't think I was setting him up for murder or something.

"Sure." He said, his face plain and, to me, scary.

"Rrrright." I said, somewhat with sarcasm. "And Serra and Rebecca, to the backlines. I guess that's it."

And so the group broke off. Just when Dorcas and Bartre were having a go at the trees, I was reminded of the houses in view. Matt has already gone to visit one while I wasn't looking. So I went to the other house to ask around…

"A merchant just went running past here in a panic. He dropped some things. I tried to tell him, but... It looked like he's the sort that drop things a lot..." the house person told me. I just tilted a head to the side. Ah, it wasn't useful information. Not useful at all. Still, I decided to write it down on my logbook.

When I got out of the house and Dorcas and Bartre were gone, I found Matt arguing with the others. "Put me in the front lines!" the thief screamed. Lord Hector was doing a very efficient job of keeping Matt in his place, but Matt was as stubborn as me, or Lord Hector.

"What's wrong, Matt?" I rushed into the scene, and just as I did, an arrow flew towards me. Matt managed to pull me by the neckline of my dress to evade the arrow, thank goodness. The others were still fighting, Serra was around, and Lord Hector, too, looking annoyed.

"He wants to go to the front lines. Tell him it's stupid." Lord Hector told me.

"It's stupid." I solidly told Matt. "Unless of course you have a decent reason."

"I think I do." He said.

"And does that reason overshadow the fact that you're not much of a powerful fighter?"

I saw Matt raise an eyebrow at me, ever so slightly. "Well, that makes sense, coming from someone who doesn't fight at all. How can you even assess my skill?"

I raised the eyebrow back at him. "I can because I watch you, and everyone else, and I study your moves."

Matt sighed, and held his hands up as if in surrender, and said, "Alright. Rear guard."

And he went to his position. I tried not to think of him. Lord Hector was staring at me.

"Yes?" I asked him.

"You're odd." He said. "You can put him in his place."

"What?"

But I wasn't given an answer, because Lord Hector ran off.

Anyway, so the group went on, slicing enemies and stuff. We I tried my best to keep away from the fighting, so I decided to stick close to Lord Eliwood. He looks like he was one who benefit from a Secret Book. He didn't have much power, but he finished enemies by attacking vital points. Still, Lord Eliwood could use a lot more lessons and such…

Lord Hector, on the other hand, relies on sheer power. He was strong, but slow due to his heavy armor. He lacks a little precision in attacks due to his preferred weapon (an axe) but he was reliable. I heard from Oswin that Lord Hector was… well, he sneaks out of the castle to fight in arenas. Oh well.

"Kumi! Duck!!"

I was puzzled, and surprised by Rebecca's scream. I realized what she meant when an enemy cavalier lunged at me with his lance. Yikes!

I ducked, as Rebecca said, and just when the enemy cavalier was about to… gasp… kill me because I can literally feel the horse in front of me, Rebecca shot the horse, and it kicked in the air and I was pushed away, a little.

"Ooh…" I fell on something hard, and I held my knee. I scraped it, darn. I turned to the enemy cavalier to see the man fall to a javelin from Oswin. I turned around to see what I had fallen on.

"Lord Hector!" I saw him on the ground, and it seems I fell on him. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Curses!" he groaned, and then he got up. "Ah, forget that. Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "Not really… I just scraped my knee. Are you okay, my lord?"

"I'm perfect." He said, but his face looked grumpy.

"Do you want me to call Serra?"

"NO!" he shouted.

I backed away. "Oh… alright. I'll just… move along, Lord Hector."

Ugh. Was he grumpy and… scary. I walked away with the goosebumps.

When I looked at the field, I saw Matt in the distance, dragging some… guy towards us. The guy looked like a Sacaean, with his clothes and the way he braided his long hair behind him… a Sacaean. Definitely a Sacaean. He looked no more than sixteen…

"Matt?" I asked him when he was right there in front of me, with the Sacaean guy behind him.

"Kumi! This is my friend, Guy!" Matt introduced me to the Sacaean. "He's gonna join our ragtag group from now on!"

So this must be why Matt wanted to be in the front lines earlier. He must've heard that Guy was around, and planned to recruit him…

I glanced at the sword hanging on Guy's belt—it was a Killing Edge, a double-edged sword with some razor-sharp edge, made especially for the swift killing moves of a myrmidon. Any sword-user with enough skill can wield it, but the sword is more deadly in the hands of a myrmidon…

I tilted my head ever so slightly as I stared at Guy. He looks… naïve. Not more than me, I hope.

Guy was as silent as me, staring at me as well, head tilted as well. Matt must've told him I was the tactician, and he must be wondering or something about me. I saw Matt's grin from the corner of my eyes.

"Aww, you two are so cute… and quiet! I knew it! It must be the sparks!"

I pulled my eyes from Guy and shut them close, and hit Matt lightly on the head. "You're talking nonsense."

Matt was laughing hard. "Oh, if only you could see, Kumi, the way you two stared at each other."

"Watch out!" Guy suddenly said, as he pushed me from my position on the ground, and I fell down to the grass. I was about to ask why he did that, but then an arrow flew over head. If I had been standing still, the arrow wouldn't hit me clear on the head.

Matt nimbly evaded the arrow, and I turned around to hear Rebecca say, "I'm sorry! That was mine! It just went a little too low…"

I groaned. I could've died out of an arrow from an _ally_.

"Are you alright?" Guy held out his hand to me and I took it, and he pulled me up.

I dusted the soil from my dress. "I guess so. Thank you, Guy."

He shrugged and smiles—such an innocent, naïve smile! "No problem. Sorry for… uhm… pushing you out of nowhere, though."

I smiled back. "Don't mention it. Welcome to the group!"

_Civilian reported sighting a man in an ill-seeming robe moving about in the castle. They say the man exudes the aura of malice..._

I wrote that down in my logbook, as I walked out of the house of some civilian. I rushed towards the castle, trying not to trip over bodies lying on the ground as I did so, to find that Lord Hector has dealt with who seems to be the boss of this group—that knight from before. Dorcas and Bartre were back with us, but Bartre was sporting a really bloody gash on his shoulder. He only laughed it off as Serra worked on him with her staff.

I asked Oswin where Lord Hector and Eliwood were, and I was told that they were already in Castle Santaruz, searching for the marquis…

I hated having to be left behind, so I ran into the castle as well, limping on my right leg as I did. I hope nobody noticed.

It wasn't hard to find Lord Hector and Eliwood in Santaruz Castle. Lord Eliwood was practically screaming "Lord Helman" as loud as he could, so that and the clatter of Lord Hector's armor was a dead giveaway to their location.

I saw them in what appeared to be the marquis' bedchambers, with Lord Eliwood clutching the weak marquis in his hands. Lord Helman, Marquis Santaruz, was on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding him. He seems to be cut by the stomach.

"I... I must apologize... Your father... He..." Lord Helman was still alive, and practically whispering to Lord Eliwood.

"Do you know something, sir?" Lord Eliwood asked, in a soft voice.

"I... If I hadn't told Elbert... about... Darin's plans... This would... never... have..."

And then Lord Helman coughed some blood to the floor, some onto Lord Eliwood's blue robes. "Lord Helman!" Lord Eliwood gripped the marquis' hand tightly.

"... Go to Laus... Darin... the Marquis of Laus... knows all."

"Marquis Laus?" Lord Eliwood repeated.

"I'm sorry, Eliwood... I... I can't… Beware... the Black... Fang..."

Marquis Helman closed his eyes.

And then the marquis' hand slipped from Lord Eliwood's. He was dead.

"Lord Helman!" Lord Eliwood shook the Marquis of Santaruz.

"He's gone..." Lord Hector whispered.

"It can't be... Lord Helman... Why... ...Why did this happen?" Lord Eliwood shook the marquis again, but more lightly this time.

I was surprised when Lord Hector suddenly screamed, and kicked a nearby closet. "Blast! What is going on?!"

The two of them still haven't noticed my presence. I was just there, standing by the doorway, silent. I saw Lord Eliwood take a deep breath and close his eyes, and open them with some sort of resolve…

...We go to Laus. We must speak to the Marquis of Laus, Lord Darin." He solidly told Lord Hector.

Lord Hector sighed too—maybe in attempt to control his rage—and said, "You're right. We should leave quickly. I'm not sure how far we can go today, but... I can't sit still."

I was still unnoticed, but then a man—probably one of the marquis' attendants, judging by his clothes, pushed through me and spoke. "Pardon me..."

"Hm?" Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood looked up to the man that spoke. Lord Eliwood glanced me as well, but he just nodded.

"Who are you?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"I'm the steward of Santaruz. With our lord gone, what are we to do?"

Lord Hector immediately answered, "First, you give Lord Helman a proper burial. After that... I'm sure the Lycian Council will have to meet. Stay here and defend the castle until you hear more."

Wow. Lord Hector seems to know how to give commands.

"I understand." The steward said, and he left.

"Let's go," Lord Eliwood stood up. "We must keep moving."

"Yes... and now we seek answers for Marquis Santaruz, too." Lord Hector added.

Lord Hector walked away past me without saying anything, but before Lord Eliwood went away, he glanced at the body of Marquis Santaruz. I heard him whisper something…

"... Lord Helman... May you find peace."

**End of Chapter.**

A/N: This chapter celebrates the entry of GUY!! (applause) And there is no GuyxKumi. (I mean that seriously)

Anyways, my brother has a new fanfic on the works. It's called **Fire Embl-emo**. It's a little hilarious… I was laughing myself out loud from the story just a while ago! Here's an excerpt…

_Where am I? Erk thought. He woke up emerging on a bed, inside a gothic house with emo things, a laptop was on a table, playing a YouTube video of emo blahblahs._

_A human body appeared. Erk gasped for fresh air._

"_Welcome, Erk." Soren emerged from the shadows of the curtain. He was wearing untypical clothes of an emo rockstar and had black eyeliner and white make-up._

_And then, another figure emerged from the shadows of the curtain. It was Jaffar, the Angel of Death. He was wearing a black hood, and he had big earphones and black eyeliner and what was even weirder is that he had sunglasses._

My bro's too lazy to post things, though… But I hope you watch out for it! It's hilarious! xD

BTW, guys, I have changed the first chapter of this fic. Yes, _**Prologue: The Girl from the Plains**_now has new content. If you want to relive the experience again (or see if I changed it for the better or for the worse), you're free to read it.

I have a new story, too, entitled **The Mage's Journal**. It's about magic and mages in the FE-verse. If it sounds like your cup of tea, please check it out. :D

I missed you guys!


	17. The Peddler Merlinus

--

CHAPTER THIRTEEN X : THE PEDDLER MERLINUS

--

_The dying words of Lord Helman stun Eliwood beyond belief. "Darin, the Marquis of Laus, knows all..." Despite the pain it brings, Eliwood takes this newfound knowledge to heart and set us out for Laus once again. On the way to Laus, he travels through a Caelin village. Eliwood and his party decide to_

_rest there for a night._

"You're limping, Lady Tactician." I heard Oswin's voice behind me. It was pretty dark, and we were walking through the paths of Caelin. Matt was holding up a torch and leading us. I lagged behind, walking veeeeery carefully.

I tried to do my best to hide it, but I expected Oswin to notice. He has been walking behind me through all this, so I expected him to notice one way or the other. I fell two times on the earlier battle, and I scraped my right knee two times. It wasn't painful in the unbearable way, but I did limp as I walked. If it was nudged, however, I was certain I was gonna _die_.

"This is nothing, Sir Oswin." I turned to look at him, and I just gave him a weak smile.

"It may be infected. When we stop, you should have Serra look at it."

Just after he said that, the people ahead of us stopped marching, and Marcus began calling to set up camp. It was pretty dark, so maybe Lord Eliwood called for us to rest already…

"How timely," said Oswin, as the others started setting up camp. Marcus chose a clearing in the grass, and Bartre and Dorcas were off to get some firewood. Rebecca and Lowen were talking about dinner, and…

"Kumiko!" Serra suddenly appeared in front of me. "How come you didn't tell me you had a wound? You shouldn't endure it, Kumi! Let me take a look at it!"

I glanced Sir Oswin. He must've called Serra while I wasn't looking.

"Well, Serra," I turned to the cleric who was readying her staff, "It's just a scratch."

"That's awful!" she shrieked. It wasn't the reaction I wanted. She was peering underneath my dress, attempting to find the scrape on my knee. I held my green robes close to myself.

"Serra, I applied some vulnerary onto it. It's gonna be fine."

"No, it's not!" She protested. "It's gonna get worse! First, if you didn't clean it, it might get infected! Second, a vulnerary dries up a wound! It might become a scar!"

"It's just a scratch--"

"Oh noooooo! Someone! HELP!!"

We were all alarmed by the sudden scream. Even Serra and I were snapped from our little debate. I turned to look around, and found Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector talking with… thugs. They were no doubt thugs. I tried to get a better view, but Marcus, Bartre, and Dorcas (who had dropped the firewood altogether) were right there in front of me. I tiptoed and jumped up, but I couldn't see anything.

And then I heard Lord Hector scream, "Kumiko!"

"What, what?" I pushed through Marcus' horse and went towards the two lords. When I got there, I found them just finishing off two thugs. Oh no. We were engaged by enemy thugs. In the middle of the dark.

Just when I was about to think of the dangers of a battle in the dark, a man ran to me, hiding behind my small form. He held me by the shoulders, and shrieked, "Aaaiiieeee!! You! They call you Kumiko, am I right? I am Merlinus, a humble and lowly merchant. I know nothing of combat. Please! You must protect me!"

I almost said that I was a humble and lowly strategist that knows nothing of combat as well, but I didn't. "Oswin!" I called on the Ostian knight. "You're to watch Merlinus!"

Sir Oswin nodded at me, and pulled the merchant away from me. I ran to Lord Eliwood and Hector and asked, "Pardon me, my lords, but what in the heck just happened?"

"That civilian was being attacked and Eliwood just had to help." Lord Hector grunted.

"Of course!" Lord Eliwood told Lord Hector. "It is our duty as lords!"

I groaned. Lord Eliwood was my employer, and I no doubt had to follow his orders, but it was just… too troublesome. It was dark and everyone was tired and…

I studied the terrain. We were on a patch of land circled by a river. We couldn't count on the water to protect us, because there were snags around that the enemy could use as bridges, just like we did on the earlier battle. I spotted the bridges. We have to defend those, and the points where the enemies might appear. And then I just realized the goal in this battle. It's just defense. We just have to survive. Those thugs would retreat sometime or the other… because it was pretty late in the night. Yes. I hoped they were sleepy as well.

I looked around in my bag again for a map. Among all my maps, the ones of Caelin are the most detailed, because they came from the archives of Castle Caelin. Everyone else had crowded around me, waiting for their orders.

"Caelin, south-western area, correct?" Matt fished out the map from my bag before I could find it. I nodded, and he unrolled the map for me, one hand holding the map in front of me and the other holding a torch.

"There's a village by the north east," I said to no one in particular, but I knew everyone could hear me. "Marcus, maybe you should go warn them."

Marcus said nothing, but he nodded.

"Lord Hector and Sir Oswin would guard the two bridges here," I pointed to the bridges nearby, "And Lord Eliwood, please watch over this point here. They might go past the river using the snags. Everyone else, just stay here. Our main objective is to stay defensive, and to protect Merlinus."

They let out shouts that they understood, and they readied their weapons. I saw Matt toss another torch to Sir Marcus, and then the paladin went off.

"You can give purging the south of bandits to me and Guy," Matt volunteered, dragging Guy behind him by the collar.

"Hey!" Guy protested. "Let go of me!"

Matt did, and I asked, "Why?"

"Most of them are axe-users. It'd be easy for me and Guy."

"How do you know they're axe users?"

"I can spot them." Matt told me with a grin, reminding me of his superior eyesight in the dark as a thief.

"Oh…" I said. "Very well. Go ahead. Take care of yourselves, and watch each other's backs!"

They nodded, and ran off, after Matt handed me the torch he was holding. He said something like, he didn't need it. I held on to the torch and stayed in my place, surrounded by fighting.

I was almost calm and unmindful of the battle around me when I sat down on a rock and stared at the scrape on my right knee. The blood was starting to clot. When I fell on Lord Hector and when Guy pushed me yesterday, I scraped the knee against some rocky area of the soil. It didn't hurt much unless it was disturbed. If it was disturbed… as I said, I was going to _die_. Pressing my finger against it just kills me, what more if someone accidentally knocked it? I was gonna shriek in pain and leave the battlefield altogether, I swear. And then there was our long marches. I limped badly on the knee, I only tried my best to endure it.

I glanced Merlinus, who was near me. He was shivering in his robes, and panicked like mad. I bet he doesn't get in the middle of fights like this often enough.

--

The battle happened as I expected it. The thugs used the snags to walk in on us, but I had Lord Eliwood and Dorcas posted there. Matt and Guy returned with good news—they dispatched of the bandits that were hiding around us. Most of them were axe users, so the two had no problem. They had some wounds, but it was nothing Serra's staff can't take care of.

Around after an hour or two, the thugs retreated, and we were victorious yet again. I wasn't feeling too good. In fact, I think I had something short of a fever. I was really ready to fall over…

I looked around. Dorcas and Bartre had huge gashes again, which Bartre usually just laughs off. Serra's staff could handle the wounds, so it was no problem. It seemed everyone was going towards Serra.

"Are you all right?" I heard Lord Eliwood's voice. I thought he was talking to me, but I found that it was Merlinus he was talking to. I turned around to watch them. Lord Hector was there, too.

"Oho!! I... I've been saved!" The man shouted happily.

"We've driven them off. Are you injured?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"No, not at all. As you can see, I'm as fine as fine can be."

"I'm glad to see that." Lord Eliwood smiled, that heart-warming smile of his. "We'll take our leave then. Let's go, Hector."

"Wait a moment, please!" Merlinus tugged on Lord Eliwood's sleeve. "A token of my thanks..."

"Do not worry yourself. We did nothing to merit reward," said Lord Eliwood.

"That's right," Lord Hector seconded. "We've no need of a peddler's junk."

"P-P-Peddler?" Merlinus backed away, taking offense in Lord Hector's words.

"Hector!" Lord Eliwood gave Lord Hector a glare.

"Oops!" Lord Hector acted as if to cover his mouth. His big fat mouth.

Merlinus cleared his throat. "Ahem! I am Merlinus. You'll find no other traveling merchant whose goods compare. Don't let your eyes fool you: I'm quite prosperous."

"Huh? You're a merchant? Books and knives and all that, eh?" Lord Hector seemed to be unaffected by Lord Eliwood's glare.

Lord Eliwood sighed. "Hector, your manners are terrible... Merlinus, please... Pay no mind to what this oaf has to say."

"No, of course not. I wasn't concerned at... Ahem! By the way, you two obviously come from highborn houses. Would you grant me the honor of your names?"

"I am Eliwood, son of the Marquis of Pherae."

"I'm Hector. Marquis Ostia's brother."

"Goodness!" Merlinus gasped. "Ostia! Pherae! The greatest houses in all of Lycia!! Ahh... To be saved by noblemen such as yourselves... It is an honor beyond words!"

"It's nice to be appreciated for a change." Lord Hector said, and I saw that he seemed to be smiling. Huh? Lord Hector? Smiling? Odd. "Lately, people just seem to want us dead. Tell me, Merlinus, what are your plans?"

"Pardon? My plans, my lord? I had planned to travel Lycia selling my merchandise, but... It may not be possible in such dangerous times."

"If that's the case, why don't you come along with us?"

I was surprised. Lord Hector asked Merlinus to come with us? I didn't expect him to do that…

"Hector?" Lord Eliwood turned to Lord Hector. He was surprised as well.

Hector explained, "Our travels will not be ending anytime soon. We've gained more people and more items, right? It might be good to have help managing our things."

Merlinus jumped up in glee. "Oho! Now THAT is a splendid idea! Managing merchandise is my specialty, after all!"

Lord Eliwood looked uncertain. "Are you sure?"

Merlinus nodded enthusiastically. "Quite sure, my lord. To be honest, I've dreamt of working for a noble house. To have my fondest wish granted in such a way... I cannot stem these tears of joy! Lord Hector! Lord Eliwood!! Take me into your bosoms and keep me safe forever!"

Lord Eliwood backed away, ever so slightly. "Uh... Thank you. Well met, Merlinus."

"We're counting on you!" Lord Hector roughly slapped the merchant on the shoulder. Then Lord Hector dug into his bags, "Now, I've got some things I want you to carry..."

"Yes, of course. Whatever you have, Merlinus will keep!"

That was all I could take. My eyes felt unbearably heavy, and I felt ready to collapse.

"Kumiko!" A pair of hands caught me by the shoulders before I could fall. I didn't have to turn around to figure who it was.

"Matt…" I whispered weakly.

He lightly hit me on the head, "Make that 'Matthew', and not 'Matt'."

I was about to say something, but a felt something wrap around my knee. I turned to see Guy, wrapping my scraped knee with clean bandages. Now that I think of it, the scrape stung badly…



"Ouch," I could help it. It stung really badly when I tried to move it. "What did you put on it?"

"An elixir…?" Guy's voice sounded questioning when he answered. He tied the bandage to a knot, tightly. I flinched again. "Sorry," the myrmidon muttered.

"Where did you get the elixir?" I asked Matt. An elixir was a stronger ointment than the vulnerary, and it stops bleeding of wounds. It wasn't actually cheap as well.

"From Lord Hector's bag," Matt said with a grin.

I groaned. "Ugh. I'm gonna get it from Lord Hector…"

The two swordsmen were silent.

"He doesn't like me, does he?" I asked Matt.

He just shrugged. "I can't tell. But I can tell you that he noticed you limping since after the battle in Santaruz, so he gave me the elixir without reluctance."

"He thinks I'm weak," I told them.

"Aren't you?" Matt tried to tease. I wasn't in the mood for his teasing.

"Lord Eliwood trusts you," Guy pointed out.

"Because he's naïve," I told the myrmidon, as I was staring into his eyes. He too, I almost said, was naïve.

Matt shrugged again, and whispered, "Lord Hector… He's asked me to watch over you."

"What?"

"He thinks you'll get yourself killed."

"So that's why you're always around me?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "And where I go, Guy goes."

I groaned. Lord Hector didn't trust me one bit.

Matt laughed at my state, and said, "I thought you weren't tying to prove yourself to anyone but yourself?"

But if my employers don't believe in me, how can I even like myself?

--

After dinner prepared by Lowen and Rebecca, we went into our bedrolls and started to sleep. Marcus and Oswin were standing guard, and I could hear Merlinus arranging things in his cart. Maybe I'll ask him to hold onto my maps and arrange them nicely.

I was feeling feverish. Sighing, I dug into my bag and took out a piece of tart. It was cream-filled, and given to me by Anko before I left Bern. They taste so nice that they always make me feel good. After eating one, I finally went to sleep.

**End of Chapter.**

--

Author's note: I LOVE TARTS!! The cream-filled kind, yesh. My mom bakes nice stuff, but since she's sick, she doesn't get to bake again… and I'm taking over her title. For now I can only bake brownies and chocochips. Anyone wants brownies and chocochips?? X3 Anyone want to ship over tarts here?? I could really use them! X3

And I love Matt and Guy! I love thieves and myrmidons and I love having them team up! My Matthew most of the time has an A support with Guy…

And yes, since I've been gone for so long, I've decided to give you all TWO chapters today. They're piling up in my PC, actually. Well, we've just moved and there's no internet here, so my posts will be irregular… I hope you guys are still around.

**End of Chapter.**


	18. False Friends

**--**

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN : FALSE FRIENDS**

**--**

_A droll merchant named Merlinus now joins Eliwood's group. With Merlinus in tow, they set out for Laus the following day. Laus is located in the heart of Lycia, a territory ruled by the power-hungry Marquis of Laus, Lord Darin. Preparation for the war of which the Pheraean magistrate spoke... The disappearance of Eliwood's father, Elbert... The death of Marquis Santaruz... Do these all revolve around Lord Darin? In Eliwood's heart, the need for truth is drowned in fear... A fear of what that truth may hold._

The tarts vanished significantly when we reached Laus. I ate all of them on the way, because they're just so irresistible. I especially love the cream-filled kind. The way the filling melts in my mouth… ah, it's a pity I ate them all now. Those tarts from Anko tasted like they were made by a top-class baker. I wonder where she… _acquired_ them. Anko would never _buy _something… I never heard her say, "Look what I _bought_, Kumi!" Noo… she always says _got _or _have _or _acquired_, but never _bought _or _buy_…

Such a pity that I ate them all, those tarts… now I think I'm craving… They actually made my knees well, I think. We've done a whole lot of walking, but I was actually pressed by Lowen and Lord Eliwood to ride on Lowen's horse. Thanks to that, my knee mended. I'm glad. The scratches have healed fast, but… the skin there was discolored into a huge spot of blue-green (with these small red spots) bruise. I never thought it would bruise this fast… It looked disgusting. But never mind what it looked like. It felt _horrible_. I felt that the slightest nudge there would _kill _me. Oh well. At least I didn't limp now. It was still a little painful and I might not be able to walk for long hours, but I can manage.

We stopped marching all of a sudden when Laus Castle came into view, not too far from us now. I was near enough the front lines to hear Lord Hector say, "Look around... They truly are preparing for battle. Bah! Marquis Laus! What is he scheming?"

I carefully climbed down the horse, and I looked around the vicinity. Lord Hector was right. There were battle preparations—soldiers training around and all that, weapons being transported and all… but they were just clearing away when we appeared. And that seemed sort of… fishy.

"You don't much look like you want to go to the castle." I heard Lord Hector say to Lord Eliwood. Lately I've been developing a habit of eavesdropping on them.

"If we go and learn the truth, we may have to go to war." Lord Eliwood said.

War. War within Lycia, between Lycians. It was absurd.

"That's fine with me!" Lord Hector said, confidently. Of course. He's an Ostian, and Ostia is the strongest region in Lycia!

Lord Eliwood looked the opposite. He said in a whisper that I strained my ears to hear, "I... I've no love for war. If I concentrate on the foe before me, I'm fine. If I picture families, innocents caught up in our foolish politics? If I imagine them... All I can do is pray for a way to solve things peacefully."

Lord Eliwood… my thoughts exactly…

I heard someone clear his throat right beside me. "Ehem." I turned to see Oswin. "I see you've developed quite a habit of eavesdropping, Lady Tactician."

Yikes. He noticed that I was trying to listen in on Lord Eliwood and Hector's conversation. "Sir Oswin, I…"



I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to defend my… habits. I wasn't particularly close to either Lord Hector or Lord Eliwood, but I felt that I had the right to know what was happening. Everyone else in our group didn't care for specifics, except maybe Matt, but only because it was his job as a spy. All they care for is that this is helping Lord Eliwood search for his father (Rebecca and Lowen), that they were getting paid to fight and fight they shall (Dorcas and Bartre), that they were here because of their sworn duties and will fight for it (Matt and Serra), or for advancing personal interests (Guy—to improve his swordsmanship, and Merlinus, for reasons I don't know). So long as they know that what's going on—whatever's going on—will advance their own reasons… they wouldn't care about specifics. _I _was different. I care for specifics. I care for each and every detail. I care to know everything, even about the political side of this adventure. There's this deep hunger inside of me to understand every side to what was going on. I didn't join this group to just direct battles… I joined to have an adventure. To have a story to write down and brag about to every tactician in Bern.

Well, but there was no way I can communicate that to Sir Oswin without him thinking I was a spy of some sort.

"Well, Sir Oswin…" I tugged on my brown-blonde hair as I was thinking of an answer.

He just smiled. "I understand, Lady Tactician. Something about tacticians and their weird habits?"

I managed a giggled. For some reason, I felt the tension between us snap. "Yes, Sir Oswin. The weird hunger for understanding that could only belong to a tactician. I mean no ill will. And please… call me Kumiko, sir. I am considerably younger than you, I assume."

He laughed. "I am not so old."

"I am not so old, either." I told him with a giggle. Oh, if he knew my age… if he did, he'd probably tell Lord Hector about it, and I'd be fired or something because he'd think only someone mad would place his life in the hands of a fourteen year old tactician.

I glanced Lord Hector as he was giving orders to Matt and Lowen to scout ahead. I then asked Sir Oswin, "Lord Hector isn't… he doesn't like me, does he?"

Oswin gave a low grunt of some sort, before saying, "That I can't tell."

"He doesn't trust me. Matt said Lord Hector asked him to watch over my safety. If I know, he also meant to watch me in case I showed signs of being… undeserving of trust."

Oswin cleared his throat, and to me that interpreted as a point scored. I must be right.

"You're very… keen, Kumiko." He told me. Aha. So I was right. I only need to do one act of disloyalty and Matt would probably jump at me with his daggers.

I stretched my arms into the chilly air with a smile. I had nothing to worry about. I wasn't really dedicated to Lord Hector, but Lord Eliwood is very kind to me. That was all I needed to be loyal.

--

"Lord Eliwood! A knight has ridden forth from the castle." Marcus rode towards us, looking hurried. I was helping Merlinus out away our items into his tent… a very nifty blue collapsible tent. I handed my maps over to him, too, and he put them in a small wooden shelf of some sort with dividers that quite neatly divided my maps. All I had now were maps of Lycia and Bern, and one of the entire continent. They were pretty heavy, and my bag was finally relieved of them now, thankfully.

"A lone knight?" Lord Eliwood asked. I strained again to hear them, between noises of Merlinus arranging my maps, Guy whistling while running a cloth through his Killing Edge, Serra _screaming_ and Matt telling her to _please quiet down_, Rebecca and Lowen giggling, and Bartre snoring. Yes, snoring. Dorcas, as usual, was not making any sound at all.

Marcus nodded. "Yes, my lord. Our scouts say it's Marquis Laus's son, Erik. He is asking to see you."

"Erik?" Lord Eliwood looked puzzled. I rolled my eyes. Marquis Laus and his son. Sir Alecto has told me before to keep away from them, because they belonged to the vilest of vile among the nobles. Sir Alecto said something about womanizing. Eew.

Lord Hector was unenthusiastic as I was. "Gah. Why did it have to be that buffoon?"

"I will see him." Lord Eliwood said.

"And I will not." Lord Hector added sternly. "I never could abide him. I'll go for a ride and survey our surroundings."

And so Lord Eliwood went with Marcus to talk with Erik. Curiosity getting the better half of me, I slipped away from Merlinus and tried to follow Lord Eliwood. I was going to document this whole adventure in my logbook, so I had better know _everything_.

I was distracted from following Lord Eliwood when I found Lord Hector and Oswin conversing over a cliff overlooking the land. I wouldn't have listened if I haven't heard Lord Hector speaking, "Erik's a contemptuous peacock. He's intolerable. And he made a show of riding from the castle alone. Something feels odd."

I hid behind a tree. Oswin nodded and said, "That is unusual. I've been thinking, my lord…"

And then his words trailed off. He saw me behind the tree and stared me right at the eyes. Whoops. I bet they think me, hiding behind the tree, is equals to something very suspicious.

Lord Hector must've noticed Oswin's gaze, and he turned to find me. I emerged from behind the tree and said, "I was just… passing by. I'll go away now…"

And I tiptoed away, my shoes not making any sound at all. Great. I just made myself seem very suspicious.

--

"_I swear, Oswin, she is just the most likely person to stab us behind the back." Hector told the Ostian knight. "Have you seen the way she follows me and Eliwood everywhere? And tries to listen to our conversations? And have you noticed that when she walks, she hardly makes a sound, like a spy?"_

"_Matthew did say it would be safe to trust her."_

"_Matthew is biased." The lord snapped. "Do you see the look in his eyes when they talk? It's like they're siblings playfully chatting with each other. He's fond of her. Eliwood, too. Bah. I can't do anything if Eliwood trusts her."_

"_You can try to give her your trust as well, my lord. She has, after all, helped Marquis Caelin's granddaughter against Lungren." Oswin suggested._

"_I will think about it." Hector said. "Well, you were saying earlier, Oswin?"_

_The knight took a moment to recall what he was saying a while ago, and then finally said, "Laus is blessed with clear water and fertile ground. See the shade its tall trees and grasses cast? Ideal for hiding soldiers, don't you think?"_

_Hector looked around and studied the terrain. "You're right, Oswin. I'm going to take a look around."_

"_Very good. Let's split up and double our ground. And one more thing, my lord."_

_Hector asked, "What is it?"_

"_Do not let yourself be distracted. Keep your guard up."_

_The blue-haired lord laughed, and said, "Yes, Mother. I will."_

--

I ran to see Lord Eliwood talking with Erik, son of Marquis Laus. Lord Eliwood was alone, and so was Erik. I ran right beside Lord Eliwood.

Lord Eliwood was aware that I was beside him, but he didn't take his eyes off Erik. Lord Eliwood gripped me by the arm, as if telling me to not take a step nearer Erik.

The other lordling examined me head to foot, staring at me. I felt my hair stand on its end with his stare. It was unnerving…

"Everywhere I look, Laus prepares for battle." Lord Eliwood sternly said the obvious. "What are you and your father planning? I will know the truth!"

Erik backed away and mused aloud, "Hm... I'd hoped to wait until you'd told me of Ostia. Of whether you've spoken with the Marquis or not."

"What are you talking about?" Lord Eliwood asked, in a demanding tone. I never knew that Lord Eliwood could be demanding.

Erik suddenly laughed in a wicked manner that practically made me hide behind Lord Eliwood. "Hm heh heh... Eliwood, I have always despised you. How I've longed to smash you and your pathetic morality into pieces! I've dreamed of this day, and here it is at last!"

"Too bad you'll not live to see the end of it." A voice suddenly interrupted Erik's glee. I turned to see Lord Hector.

"Hector!" Lord Eliwood exclaimed upon seeing the other lord. I was just relieved. Lord Hector, as scary has he was, was a nice person to have on your side. _I'm_ relieved I'm on this side.

"Y-You! Hector!" Erik gasped and actually backed away. "You couldn't... Have you spoken with Ostia already?"

Aha. So he wants to know if Lord Eliwood has the duke of Ostia, the most powerful land in all of Lycia, on his side.

"Maybe we have, maybe we haven't." Lord Hector replied. "Eliwood, this mongrel has troops lying in ambush all around us. Laus regulars, every one. We're in for a rough time."

What?? He had soldiers around us? And I failed to notice it? I _hate _myself! _I _was supposed to be one of the firsts to notice it! I flunk as a tactician. I can never be licensed in Bern.

"Heh heh..." Erik laughed wickedly. "There's little point in fighting. You're trapped! My forces will overwhelm you, an unending torrent of soldiers! Laus's elite knight are at the ready as well. Heh heh... How long do you think you can survive?"

"Craven cur!" Lord Eliwood shouted after Erik, who signaled his troops to come as he retreated to the castle. But no, Lord Eliwood. Insults, no matter how hurting they are, simply do not work on these kind of people.

"I've told Oswin and Marcus to prepare the troops." Lord Hector said, making an all-too-unnecessary glance at me. I know just what that look meant. I felt like melting out of shame right in front of Lord Hector.

He meant that I was useless as a tactician. That I'm an amateur, that I was no good on the real battlefield at all, that pre-analysis was all that I was good for. And I was a woman, to drag, and defenseless as well. I regretted not 

learning some form of battle when I was in Bern. Anko could've thought me a thing or two about knives and daggers. But then again, I didn't like killing.

Lord Hector must've read my mind, so he motioned towards the camp and told me, "Tell them what to do."

I just nodded, and got to my feet. Boy, I sure had a lot to prove to Lord Hector… and to myself. I was proud of my work in for Lyn a year ago. But maybe it was because I actually got along with Lyn and Kent and everyone else… so it was easier…

I got back to the camp area, and everyone was prepared. Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector actually followed me to camp. They awaited my orders as well. Matt must've sensed that I was feeling less than well, because he just walked up to me and handed me a map of the terrain without saying anything.

I looked up to the skies. I had a gut feeling that it was going to rain. The clouds showed no sign, but having this hatred for the rain, I kind of get an unnerving feeling when it's about to come.

I studied the map and made a quick plan. Everyone else was listening to me, hanging on to my words. "Merlinus will stay here with the supplies. Lord Eliwood and Matt can guard him."

I noticed Matt raise an eyebrow. He doesn't like getting guard duties. He hates them, especially if it's 'guard Serra'. Lord Eliwood looked a little puzzled as well, but he didn't question. I was relieved, because I didn't have the guts to tell him that the reason I was giving him guard duty was because I've seen him almost slaughtered by many an enemy, only to emerge lucky in the end. Sir Marcus was concerned about this as well, and he told me to make sure I don't risk Lord Eliwood's life.

"Lord Hector can lead the front lines with Bartre, Dorcas, and Sir Oswin. I assume since we're dealing with soldiers, they'll be lance-users. Sir Marcus, go ahead and warn this village here… the other village, maybe Guy and I could deal with it. Rebecca and Lowen will support the main attack. Serra… you can come with me and Guy. Everyone, is that clear?"

When my words trailed off and explanation was finished, they all nodded in understanding. We were about to break off when Lord Hector spoke.

"What about you?"

I tried to take in his words as a professional. "Lord Hector, as I said, I'm going with Guy."

"You think you're not needed in the attack group?"

_I think I will be a burden to the attack group._

"I'll be with the attack group after we warn the village."

_I didn't want to be with the attack group. I didn't want to see all the killing and the blood…_

He didn't say anything, and he just went off. And I realized that I betrayed myself for him.

I was about to sulk, I just knew it, when Serra appeared beside me, with Guy not too far from us. Serra greeted me with her usual self-assured smile and said, "Uh-oh! I think we've been surrounded. Uh… but I'm not worried a bit. I'm with you after all, Kumiko. We make quite a team. …Right. Come on, Kumiko! Let's get started!"

I smiled. Serra can be quite nice to have around sometimes.

--



I would have done anything in my power to know what Guy must've been thinking, being charged to watch over two defenseless girls in the middle of a battlefield. Would he be flattered because I thought he was capable? Or would he think I was careless? Or would he be intimidated because I detached him from the attack group? Or would he not care at all, so long as he could swing his sword and cut some bad guys and improve his swordsmanship?

We could see the fighting of the attack group right below us. Behind us, I saw that Matt and Lord Eliwood were caught in skirmishes as well—against bandits. Ugh. I crossed my fingers and hoped that they could handle it.

"Someone's already fighting!" Serra suddenly screamed and Guy and I turned to the area ahead of us. Serra immediately ran towards that direction, and I squinted my eyes to figure who it was fighting against the Laus soldiers but wasn't part of our group. It took me a while to scream, "Wait, Serra! Don't just rush in!"

I noticed that Guy already rushed in to keep an eye on Serra, so there was nothing for me to do but run after them as well.

I gasped when I saw the scene of Serra being prey to a soldier's lance. She didn't notice the attack towards her in time.

"SERRA!!" I screamed to warn her, but then I noticed that another voice screamed with me. It was a male voice, but it was not Guy's.

It was Erk, red cape and purple hair swinging in the air as he stood between the enemy soldier and Serra, the enemy's lance point stuck in his shoulder.

I gasped once again. Erk backed away, pulling the enemy's weapon from himself, and quickly chanting a Thunder spell from the golden tome in his hands to stun the enemy, if only for temporarily. Bleeding, Erk kneeled to the ground.

"Erk!" I ran to the scene, Guy behind me. I stood just behind Erk and Serra, who knelt right beside the mage as well. Guy, from the corner of my eyes, has taken care of the soldier that injured Erk.

Erk was holding onto his shoulder wound, his hand stained vibrant red. I heard Serra whisper, "Erky…"

"Oh... Serra." He spoke in what seemed like a groan. "You're… the last person I wanted to see..."

Serra smiled widely, but she spoke in a soft voice, as she got her staff. Rare. Very rare. "Oh, that's so sweet. You wanted to see me again."

Erk only rolled his eyes as Serra started healing his wounds. I was about to approach them, but then I saw Lord Eliwood having trouble with those bandits…

"Guy! Go back and lend Lord Eliwood a hand!"

"You two will be fine?" He asked, as he swiftly ran a cloth through his blood-stained sword.

"Yes! Now go!" Go before Lord Eliwood gets killed and Marcus kills me.

He didn't say anything, and he just ran back towards Lord Eliwood and Matt. Erk's wound was just closing when he saw me.

"K-Kumiko!" He almost backed away when he said my name, as if I scared the life out of him or something. What? What did I do?

"Erk, now isn't the best time to be catching up," I told him. I wanted to chat a little, but as I said, now isn't the best time. "Serra! I'm going to the attack group to supervise. Make sure you warn the village and follow me when you're done healing Erk. He'll protect you."

"Alright!" Serra said, almost cheerfully, but her eyes were still fixed on Erk's wound, her concentration still on healing.

"Kumiko!" Erk called me just as I was about to run off. I thought he was about to protest about the 'guard Serra' task, but he said, "My employer is hiding in a village south of here. If you'll help me protect her, I'll join up with you."

--

"Oh, for the love of--" I almost cursed when the first drop of rain fell on my skin. Apart from me hating the rain, the terrain will be slippery.

"Kumi!" I heard someone scream. Oh, right. I was still in the middle of the field. And apart from that, there was a soldier running after me! I screamed and screamed as I ran around the field.

"Oh, for crying out--!" I heard Lord Hector scream. "Someone get rid of that soldier following Kumiko!"

"Someone! Anyone!" I screamed as I ran. "ANYONE!!"

I suddenly came to a stop when I felt something wet and sticky slick onto my neck. I turned around to see Dorcas and the soldier running after me fall dead to his axe. I put a hand on the back of my neck. Blood. It must've splattered onto me.

I wanted to wipe the damn thing off me, as if to declare that I was innocent and that no one's blood stained my hands red. But I didn't have a handkerchief at that time, and if I wiped it off with my clothes, it'd be much harder to wipe out.

Dorcas must've sensed my worry, because he handed me a small piece of cloth—a little yellowish in color, and I wiped the blood clean from my skin.

"Are you alright?"

I nodded. I shook the thoughts out of my head. Thoughts like those don't belong on a battlefield.

"Get back to helping Lord Hector."

--

"Matt, get rid of these pirates from this shore!" I screamed, right through the rain. My clothes were now two times heavier than they originally were. Matt has come to the front lines and left Lord Eliwood and Guy to take care of watching over Merlinus.

"Yep!" he said, and I caught sight of the wound on his arm. He had a little slice there, and Serra was still busy with something major on Rebecca. We need more healers.

"Excuse me?" A soft female voice suddenly spoke behind me. I shuddered at the sweetness of the voice. It couldn't be Serra, Serra was loud. It couldn't be Rebecca, Rebecca was being healed. I turned around to see a girl on a horse with reddish hair, looking at me. Ah. She exuded the aura of a noblewoman. The soft, gentle noblewomen.

"Yes?"

"I have just joined your group. I am trained in the use of staves. They told me you were the group's tactician. Do I have any orders?"



I looked up to the dark, grey skies that poured out rain. Apparently someone has heard my wish for an additional healer. Oh, careful what you wish for.

I called on Matt after he felled the pirates and the girl (who I found out was named Priscilla) healed his wounds. While she was doing it, Matt whispered to me, "Kumiko, in future battles, if I get wounded, you had better order Priscilla and NOT Serra to heal me."

I giggled. "Oh, no. I won't sacrifice strategy for your little annoyance of Serra."

--

"Unhand me! I am no one's prisoner! Gwaaa!"

We've defeated the cur Erik and his troops, and he was dragged into the castle by Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood. Marcus was present as well. I was, of course, inching around and trying to eavesdrop. Lord Eliwood won't mind. Lord Hector, I don't know…

"Come on, Erik! Get up!" Lord Hector practically screamed after beating the other lordling down. Ugh. I backed away because I didn't want to get hit. I stood a little behind Lord Eliwood…

"You... You peasants... You can't treat a proper noble like this!" Erik protested.

"It's too late for niceties! Be thankful you're still breathing!"

While Lord Hector grumbled to himself, Lord Eliwood tried to talk calmly to Erik. "Erik, you _must_ tell me. Where is your father? We've searched the entire castle, and there's no one here."

Erik suddenly looked surprised and horrified at the same time. "D-Don't be ridiculous! My father would not abandon... No! He'd never..." he looked thoughtful, and then he whispered, "Ephidel..."

"Ephidel? Who's that?" Lord Eliwood gently inquired.

When Erik was silent for long, Lord Hector pulled him by the collar and screamed, "Speak, cur!! Do you want to die here?"

Erik let out a horrified yelp, and Lord Eliwood spoke, "Erik... please. You must tell us everything you know. I... I just want to know where my father is."

Lord Hector's grip on the Laus lordling eventually loosened when Erik began to talk. "...Ephidel... He appeared at the castle one year ago. He came... and my father changed. Ostia's position had always bothered my father... He felt Laus deserved to rule all of Lycia. But he'd never gone so far as to speak of rebellion."

Lord Hector looked mortified. Of course he should be. He was from Ostia, and Ostia was the topic of the rebellion. "Did you say... rebellion?"

"Ephidel had something... With it, he convinced my father to set this plan in motion. My father then sent envoys to several other marquises. Marquis Pherae, he had approved of the idea."

Lord Hector was so surprised that he dropped his hold on the Laus noble and backed away. "What?"

"Never!" Lord Eliwood protested. "My father would never agree to such a thing!" 

I was quietly thinking of Erik's words. Marcus behind me looked shocked as well, and looked like he supported Lord Eliwood's protest.



"Believe or disbelieve. That is your choice. First was Marquis Santaruz. Then Marquis Pherae's reply arrived. Marquis Pherae visited here six months ago to seal his approval."

"That's not... possible..." Lord Eliwood whispered, and I wrung some water out of my dress. The rain has stopped awhile ago, and Oswin has led the others into taking the castle. Later, maybe I'll get a bath (finally!) and hang my clothes to dry.

"My father and yours argues vehemently that day. Marquis Pherae always distrusted Ephidel. He tried to convince my father to sent Ephidel and the Black Fang assassins out of Lycia. My father would not be persuaded, and Marquis Pherae left the castle. As you know, he then disappeared. I doubt he's still alive." Erik said.

"No!" Lord Eliwood was practically covering his ears.

"Shut your mouth!" Lord Hector threatened loudly, so loud that I backed away out of surprise.

"Eliwood said he wanted to hear everything. My father... He is but Ephidel's puppet. He'll listen to anything that villain says. Even watch his own son... die... Those are the sort of people you're dealing with. Marquis Pherae betrayed them. They would not let him live! Ha ha... ha ha ha ha ha ha..."

And with that cruel laughter, Lord Eliwood ran out of the room.

"Wait! Eliwood!" Lord Hector and Marcus quickly followed Lord Eliwood. I was about to follow, too, when…

"You… you are their tactician?"

I sighed, and I shouldn't have answered, but my mouth spoke before my brain thought. "Yes, that would be me."

"How much have they paid you?"

Huh? I was alarmed by the question. I never remembered asking pay from Lord Eliwood. This is just my quest for knowledge and experience. "Nothing. I'm not paid a cent."

"Then you should rethink on which side you should take."

I ran out and left him. There was no thinking to do. I was going to be loyal to Lord Eliwood… and maybe Lord Hector, too.

--

I was going to find where the others were when I heard Oswin's undeniable voice around the corner of a hallway. I walked carefully, and wanted to just walk through but then my ears heard Oswin's words.

"Let us return to Ostia. The rumors… I've heard that… Lord Hector, I cannot approve of helping Eliwood… or Pherae… any longer."

I decided to stay there and keep listening. Will the Ostians abandon us to our own devices? Lord Hector, Oswin, Serra, and Matt… they'll leave? I remember that battle in where they rescued us. We can't even be here weren't it for them. We can barely survive our recent battles with our number. What would happen if they left?

But of course, Lord Hector wouldn't do that… would he?

"What are you saying?"

"We must think of Ostia's well-being. If Marquis Pherae was involved in a rebellion--"

"Oswin. You will take back those words."

"Lord Hector, I appreciate your feelings…"

"I know Eliwood's father very well. I'm telling you that he is a man worthy of our trust. You are in my service! Do you not feel you should follow my orders?"

Lord Hector's voice resounded with authority. There was a long silence in the air. I held in my breath, so as to not be noticed that I was there all along. I listened carefully. I didn't dare look because I might be seen.

"Heed my words, Oswin. You are my brother's vassal. Your duties to guard me come second to this. Return to Ostia, Oswin. You've done your duty. ……Thank you."

Another passing silence.

"…… My remarks about Marquis Pherae were improper. I apologize completely."

"Oswin? Stop! That's enough! You need not bend your knee to me!"

"My lord, I would swear my service to you."

"Service… to me?"

"Please accept my lance as your own. Then return it with your blessings."

"Oswin, you—"

"I am a knight in service to Castle Ostia. Until now, I have only offered my lance to Lord Uther. Yet… I now wish to offer you that same service. Please grant me that honor."

"Oswin…"

I couldn't hold in my curiosity anymore. I took in a breath and held it, and peeked at what was going on. The next event was… heart-warming. Oswin swore an oath to Lord Hector, and Lord Hector took it. I felt all… warm. It was that kind of event… it warms the heart and soul. Seeing a knight's loyalty to his lord…

Now that I see this, I admire them both. I admired Oswin. And surprisingly, I admired Lord Hector. He is such a loyal friend to Lord Eliwood, and he is so courageous, and all that… He may be a little brash and loud, but he is a good man.

I was smiling when I decided to go off.

--

"What is this?"

Lord Hector gave me a puzzled look as I laid out the roll of parchment in front of him. I had stormed to the room he took in the castle to catch him without his armor, but his axe near him. He looked surprised when he saw me in a nightgown (which some nice girl from the castle gave me—she was one of the girls Marquis Laus fancied and locked in his castle, and we set them all free, so she gave me one of her fancy nightgowns) but looked more surprised when I laid out the document in front of him. I held out a quill in front of him.

"Sign it." I demanded.

"What is it?"

"Contract."

"Oh, I see…" he looked enlightened. He edged closer to the paper and read it, "I thought you are working for Eliwood?"

"He asked me to join his group and help, but I didn't sign a contract with him." I said.

"What the--?" Lord Hector was suddenly surprised. "_This contract states that the tactician Kumiko of Bern shall work for LORD HECTOR OF OSTIA??"_

"Yes. I plan to work under you, Lord Hector."

"Eliwood--"

"I believe signing up with you is just the same as signing up with Lord Eliwood." I told him.

"Then why me?"

I didn't plan to say that I admired him as a man and as a noble so I wanted to work for him. Apart from that, I had to prove my skills, too. I said the first thing that came to mind, "Ostia is more powerful that Pherae, and a whole lot richer."

"And your price is?" He raised his eyebrows at me.

I pointed to the area on the paper that said, "_Price negotiable upon victory_."

His eyebrows rose higher. "What makes you think I'll hire you? You're… an amateur. You're young. You're a… girl. You panic. You sneak up on me and Eliwood and listen to our conversations."

"Don't worry, Lord Hector." I gave him a smile. "I can live with Matthew watching my every move and ready to jump at me with his daggers in case I do one wrong move."

"Hah!" he laughed. "You're keen. But that only makes you more… mysterious."

"What should I do so that you'd trust me, Lord Hector?" I asked. "Helping you with those battles up to until now isn't enough?"

When he offered no answer, I suggested, "Aha! Lord Hector, shall I make a vow or kneel in front of you and make an oath?"

"N-No, silly!" He said, a little panicked when I knelt on the floor. "You don't have to do that!" He nabbed the paper from my hands and got his own quill. "I'll sign. This only means you'll be loyal to me and I have to pay you after, right? Alright, I'll sign."

**End of Chapter.**

--

And so we now officially follow Hector's mode. Yay to the more complete Hector's mode! Yay!

This chapter ended up a lot longer than I wanted it to be, but it was because sooo many things are happening. And then there are Kumiko's plots that needed to be resolved. I think I made her personality a little too scattered here…

Ugh. It was an uber long chapter… And. I will show Rebecca, Lowen, and Bartre more in the next chapter, okay?? Uh, and Marcus. Does anyone here even care for Marcus?? O.O (I blame his craptastic stats)

Note to some people:

**Terran34** – Thanks for the praise! :3 You've just made me genuinely happy! I know I still have a lot to work on, I mean, I know I could still improve, but thank-you-so-much! :D

**Fire Emblem MewMew – **Ah, don't worry, Hector will be shown in a different light in the next chapters… and glad you saw the drawing! : D I'm a little busy, but if you have a Fire Emblem drawing request, I can make time for it. : D Just tell me when you want one.

**DarkBlaziken **– forgot to tell you that I can't read Chinese. I can only understand English, and Filipino.

Me now finishing Hector's Hard Mode. On chapter 19x as of April 9.

To an anonymous reviewer named **HEAVEN'S DARK HARBINGER **(with the all caps) who commented on the first chapter, thank you very much for that heart-warming praise!! :D If I did make a novel and publish it, I'll even autograph your copy if you buy one, ha ha! xD

I hope this two-chapter post makes up for all the long time I've been gone…

By the way guys, by the way… If anyone of you wants to have something long to read, I have just finished my FE6 fic. (Yes, the one where Kumiko marries you-know-who). I mean, I haven't posted it or anything, but I've finished the outline. If you want to read the whole of it, please tell me. I'm looking for people to tell me what to improve in it, because I'm rewriting it (again). You can always strive for a little more perfection, you know.

**Angie**_**, **_thanks for scripting for me!


	19. Talons Alight

--

CHAPTER FIFTEEN (HECTOR) : TALONS ALIGHT

--

_Hector and his companions defeat Marquess Laus's son, Erik, and seize Castle Laus. After the battle, they rest in the castle and settle their affairs. They diligently prepare for any possible counterattack. They should've spotted anyone attempting to approach the castle. And yet somehow, they find themselves facing an unforeseen attack..._

We've took Castle Laus and started to use it as our own for a day or two now. We waited, under Lord Hector's orders, in case that Lord Darin might come back with his soldiers to retake the castle. I debated with him that it was the most unlikely thing for Lord Darin to do, but Lord Hector believed that waiting a day or two wasn't so bad. He said that it didn't pay to be careful… Careful? What did he know about 'careful'? Well, rushin after Lord Laus might lead us to a trap, so he might be right… and if the troops will retake the castle, we were definitely going to be in an advantage if we were in the castle, in the defense. Unless of course an unholy number of soldiers attack us.

But then again Lord Laus didn't need Laus to take Lycia. He was with that Ephidel person, who I assumed was with the _Black Fang_. THE Black Fang, for crying out loud! THE best group of assassins in Bern…

But Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector didn't know of the Fang. They weren't from Bern. They didn't ask anything to me about the Fang, so I said nothing.

I have just gotten Lord Hector to sign the contract, and I regret it somehow. He was stubborn and difficult to… confront. He scares me…

I sighed, and I walked to the room that was reserved for me. Oswin told me it was my own, with all my papers and maps fitted in there as well. Maybe I should just rest for now…

I smiled at the thought of soft, luxurious beds that nobles use, when I was surprised to open the door to find Matt in there.

"Oh, hello, Kumi!" He greeted me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Matt, what in Elimine's name are you doing in MY room?"

He grinned, and said, "I'm sharing it with you. Lord Hector told me so."

I groaned, and went into the bedroom to jump into the soft bed. Ahhh!! A soft bed!! A soft bed!!

"Yeah, just go on and relax…" Matt said. "And I'll be here to watch over you."

I stopped bouncing on the bed to say, "Watching me?"

"Yup. Lord Hector says," Matthew knotted his eyebrows and straightened his shoulders, and did everything he could to imitate the said lord. "_Matthew,_" Matt tried to mimic Lord Hector's voice, "_You will watch over the tactician to keep her safe from unwanted bodily harm."_

I laughed at the flawless imitation of Lord Hector, not telling Matt that one way or another, it was him that was a potential harm to me. He watched me because Lord Hector didn't trust me. I wondered what it was about me that wasn't to trust about. Was it because I'm from Bern?

"Despite what he says," Matt said, "he wants you to be safe."

"I'm quite safe on my own," I told him, not telling him that I thought he was gonna slice my neck in half in my sleep one day.

"Oh no you're not," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you aware, Kumi, that you're a like sitting duck in the middle of a shooting gallery when you're in the battlefield? Meaning you make for an easy target."

"Oh, shut up," I told him.

When Matt and I were giggling, he suddenly put a finger on his lip and I was silenced. "Shh…" he said. "There's someone at the door."

I wondered who it was, and Matthew crept to the door and pressed his ear against it. And then he smiled.

"It's for you," he told me.

Puzzled, I got up and opened the door, and found Erk behind it. He was walking to and fro in the hallways, in front of my doorway. He suddenly stopped when he saw me at the door, surprised to the point that he actually jumped away.

"K-Kumiko!" He exclaimed, and almost instantly his cheeks flushed red. What? What? I seem to have that effect on Erk… It's like I scare him to death!

"Erk? What are you doing here?" I asked him.

He paused, and I heard him control his breathing to even it out. He glanced at me—I was still in that nice mint green nightgown—and then at Matt.

"I do believe you still owe me my money back." Erk told Matt.

Matt just grinned. "What money?"

"My money. A year ago, after Caelin… you left and took my money. Half of it."

"That was an advance on my payment. Kumiko told me to get my pay from your pouch."

"WHAT?" I practically screamed at Matt. I had no idea what he was talking of!

Erk studied my reaction and told Matt, "Liar."

Matt just shrugged and whistled. Then he said, "Anyway, Erk, I do believe that if I leave you alone with Kumi, I would have paid you back, huh?"

…Huh?

"Matthew, you--"

Erk was about to say something when Matt just turn tail and ran, and vanished in a corner, as quick as that.

"Honestly, that thief…" Erk sighed.

I blinked at Erk, whose gaze was still at the spot where Matt vanished. "Erk?"

He all of a sudden was surprised again, "Y-Yes?"

"Why are you here?"

"I… uh… I was…"

"Erk?"

"Hm?"

"Have I done something wrong to you?" I asked, curious. "You always seem as if you've seen a ghost when you see me. Did I give you a reason to fear me?"

"No, not at all!" he quickly said. "Kumi, I'm sorry if you think that… You did nothing wrong!"

"Oh… that's good, then." I told him with a smile. Whew. That was good. I thought I did some grave wrong to Erk!

He sighed, and then he groaned, and then he fluttered his hands, and…

Basically Erk is acting all weird and out of his normal character…

"Yes, Erk?" I asked him again. "Just say whatever you need to say…"

"I just… Well, it's nice to see you again."

Ah! How stupid of me! I just realized that I haven't talked to Erk and all yet! He must be wanting to chat with me… or something. And was I dense… stupid, stupid me…

"Yup, you too. I can't believe it's really been a year. Wanna come in and chat?"

He looked like he wanted to say yes, but then he stared at me, as if to study me. I looked into his eyes. They were the kind that showed his intelligence. I was reminded of Mark.

"You must be tired. Maybe some other time." He told me.

I know. I was tired, mentally exhausted and all, but I can always stay up a little later for a friend…

"Well, I'm not as tired as I seem…"

"Get some rest." He insisted. "You still have battles to plan and all that."

"Oh… Alright, Erk."

And then he left. Most weird.

"I think someone has a cruuuuush…" Matt suddenly reappeared again. That was surprising and fast!

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Who has a crush?"

He stared at me and blinked, and his face had a grave expression on it. What? What did I do?

"Poor guy." Matt said, and he entered the room, refusing to say anything further about the topic.

I was puzzled, but I decided to just claim my sleep. Before I slept, I studied my bruised knee. It still looked disgusting, but it didn't bring me any pain while walking anymore. If it was nudged, however, I could bet it would still kill me. But I did notice that the discoloration was starting to vanish. It was a good sign.

--

Meanwhile, Hector and Eliwood were still left in the meeting room. A while ago they have just discussed things with the tactician, Kumiko…

"Ah…" Eliwood seemed to snap from deep thoughts after hearing Hector say something. "I… I beg your pardon, Hector?"

Hector sighed, and said, "Eliwood… I know you're troubled."

Eliwood nodded. "My father is alive... And... I cannot believe he supports... rebellion. There must be... There has to be a reason..."

"I know." Hector put a hand on Eliwood's shoulder, as if to comfort him. "I don't believe any of this for an instant. My brother trusted Marquess Pherae more than anyone. First, we'll find your father and discover the truth. We'll talk to my brother after that."

"Hector, I'm sorry..."

"Don't look like that!" Hector slapped Eliwood on the back. "Your father is surely alive. Right?"

"Yes, of course... Marquess Laus... Black Fang assassins... Now this mysterious Ephidel... I'll find them all and prove my father's innocence!"

--

I opened my eyes abruptly to something short of a nightmare. I could hardly breathe. I tried to scream and scream but I found a hand holding my mouth. My legs kicked against the soft and bouncy mattress in resistance.

"Shhh!" I looked up to the man holding me. It was… Matt? Why is he holding me like this, like he's about to kidnap me? Or worse, strangle me to the death? Or worse than strangle me to death—oh my goodness, not _that_, what was I thinking?!

Before I could ask, he explained in a hush, "The castle's under attack. They're mercenaries. The flawless kind. They're moving about. Keep quiet if you don't want to die. I can't protect you. I'm too weak for them."

I nodded ever so slightly, and tried to concentrate on breathing. When I've done that, I heard that Matt was undeniably correct—I heard footsteps from outside. We _were _under attack. And then I recalled Matt's words. I know from watching him that he wasn't exactly the top-notch swordfighter. He lacked strength, but what he lacked in it he made up for his lightning speed. If he had me to drag, we'd both be dead…

He listened carefully for the footsteps. I listened as well. I could hear my heavy breathing. I couldn't hear Matt's. Was he holding his breath? No, he wasn't. He just… he didn't want to make any sound that might betray us. And it was his profession…

When no sound was left, Matt let go of my mouth, and I managed to breathe easily. We still stayed silent, though. A few seconds after, Matt crept to the door, pressing his ears against it. His feet made no sound when he walked around.

He only gave me a look, and he motioned his head towards the door. I figured what he meant. I got on my feet and walked towards him. When I got right beside him, he blinked in disbelief.

"Where did you learn that?" He asked me in a whisper.

I blinked at him again.

"Walking around with no sound at all," he said.

I answered in a hushed voice, "From the likes of Xarin and you."

"Ah." He then looked at the door, listening again. "I think it's safe. Let's go."

He pulled open the door, pulling it efficiently—it made no creaking sound at all. When we were at the hallway, we found Guy on one end.

"Guy!" I called on him, in a whisper.

"Kumiko! Matthew!" He called us in the same manner I called him. He walked towards us and said, "What is going on? I heard noises a while ago… are we under attack?"

"Yes," Matt answered. "Sneak attack. From a mercenary group, probably. Knights know nothing of the word _sneak_. Lord Hector and Eliwood are probably getting news of this by now."

"They'll probably issue to defend the throne." I told them. "Let's gather everyone else… Guy. Priscilla, Rebecca, and Serra's room is next to yours. Did you check them out?"

"Not yet."

"I'll go. Gather the others, Matt. Guy, stay with me." I ordered.

I turned to the door of the girls, and didn't even notice Matt vanish. He was a master at moving about unnoticed—that's why I sent him to get the others. If I sent Guy, albeit Guy being a little more dependable on strength, he might make unnecessary noise and attract attention from the enemies. That we don't want happening.

I pushed open the door of the girls' room to find them huddled together in one corner. Good. One of them must've sensed the enemies outside and decided to keep quiet. Thank goodness the enemies didn't check each room. This room with the three girls wouldn't be able to give them a fight.

"Are you alright?" I went to them, and earned nods.

Priscilla whispered something to me, and I could almost hear her straining her voice to keep calm. "One of them… came here. A man with green hair, dressed in the armor of Bern… But he didn't harm us. He just closed the door again and told his allies that there was no one inside."

Most odd. An enemy wouldn't do that. Whoever this man was, I thanked him in my mind. I was too nervous to realize that I might be thanking him now, but later I might be ordering someone in the group to kill that same man…

"We've been attacked," I told them. "Take your weapons and staves, and prepare to fight. Hurry."

I temporarily left the room while the girls prepared. Outside was Guy, alert, looking out for enemies.

"We have to all assemble at once. They might be raining death on Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood by now."

Guy nodded. And then he stared at me from head to foot. What?

"Kumiko, won't you get dressed?"

I stared at him. He was in his usual Sacaean clothes, in full fighting attire, heck, even with that bandana on. I guessed he still hasn't changed to sleep. I shook my head. "There's no time for that!"

Just after I let go of those statements, Serra, Rebecca, and Priscilla came out from their rooms, in their full fighting gear. Rebecca even has some light armor on, and Serra put on her cleric's robes. Priscilla wasn't even missing a single accessory. Guy glanced the girls and blinked at me.

"Okay, so maybe there is time." I corrected myself to Guy. "But we can't waste it. Let's go!"

--

Around a corner, we met up with Dorcas, Bartre, and Erk. They were moving as quietly as they could, but they failed. Erk may have succeeded, but Dorcas and Bartre didn't, for obvious reasons. In fact, Bartre almost knocked over an antique vase displayed at the hallway. I dived after it and caught it, worried for the noise it might make if it broke.

"Where's Matt?" I asked as Dorcas helped me get up and I put the vase somewhere safe.

"He said he's going to get the horses," Erk answered. "Oswin, Lowen, and Marcus are already with Lord Eliwood and Hector in the throne room."

Yikes! They might already be in trouble! "Let's hurry!"

--

"Better late than never, eh, Kumiko?" Lord Hector greeted me when we reached the throne room. He, Lord Eliwood, Lowen, Marcus, and Oswin were already caught in their own battles. They were each fending off like… three each? I found Merlinus, too, carrying some of our items in his cart, and running around like insane as he did that. He was panicked.

I didn't need to shout orders to get the group behind me moving. Dorcas and Bartre immediately took on some of the enemies, and Rebecca and Erk started attacking as well. When the coast was clear, Priscilla and Serra checked everyone for wounds.

"I'm sorry we were late… but we had to consider ourselves, too." I told Lord Hector as he was getting healed by Serra.

"I know. But you came, and we didn't die. That's all that matters now."

The next thing that happened was Matt arrived, dragging three horses behind him by the reins. The owners of the horses—Marcus, Lowen, and Priscilla—each took their own horse. Matt said, "I swear, I called on every god I knew to help me get into the castle _dragging horses_ and not be noticed by the enemy."

"And your prayers were answered?" Lord Hector asked.

Matt shrugged. "Well, yes. In the frightening way."

I managed a giggle. It was impossible to get through enemies lugging _three horses_ and not making a sound. The fact that Matt did is sort of creepy.

The giggle vanished quickly when Matt handed me a rough sketch of the area around the throne room. It was considerate of him, but I was starting to look at it as his job. I quickly formed a plan.

"Our goal here is defense. We defend the throne room." I told them all, taking the small break in the enemy's attack as opportunity. "If we manage to defend ourselves for a while, they'll turn back. They're mercenaries, not soldiers. They won't fight to the death. They'll retreat if they see things are bad for them."

Sir Oswin said, "Kumiko, if the goal is to defend, knights are your best hope. We can use our thick armor to form a living shield."

I nodded. "I can count on you to lead the defense to the main entrance to the throne room, then. You go with Bartre and Dorcas."

I earned nods from the three of them.

Matt pointed out to an area of his sketch. He said, "This is the treasure room. I was planning to pilfer it of stuff from the beginning, but since we stayed here longer, I delayed. But obviously we need to get those now, 'coz the enemy might nab them."

I didn't want to risk Matt going in there, but he was right. We were starting to get short on funds. We needed all the valuables we could get. "Alright. Go there with Marcus. And make sure you have vulneraries."

Matt stepped beside Sir Marcus who was on his horse, and I noticed Matt's adept hands very swiftly take the vulnerary from Sir Marcus' pouch and transfer it to his. Hah! Marcus didn't even notice.

I looked at the small back door in the throne room. The throne room was small, just enough room for all of us and a throne. It was probably used for private audiences. "Lord Hector," I pointed towards the back door, "Do guard that place, please."

"But it's locked."

I put a hand on my hip, and for an instance sounded like a mother scolding his son. "You've seen Matt open _locked_ doors with nothing but simple wires and false keys, and you think the enemy can't do that as well?"

He grunted a little, but then he nodded.

I surveyed the room a little and found a weak wall—it was cracked, almost ready to fall with one strong whack of a weapon. "Guy and Lord Eliwood, your post is near this wall. Enemies might notice it and enter through here."

They nodded. "Lowen, Rebecca, you're on support to the front defense. Erk, you're on support for Lord Hector. Serra and Priscilla, watch out for injuries. Clear?"

They all let out brief statements that they did. Except for Merlinus, who tugged on my sleeve.

"Do I get a guard, Kumiko?"

I shook my head. "You don't. But don't worry. We've got all entrances to the room defended. No enemy should even reach you."

He nodded, but I felt him trembling. He wasn't used to all this. He was a civilian. I was like that at first… But soon he'll get used to it.

"Alright! Let's go!"

--

Matt and Marcus left the throne room, with the thief riding with the paladin. I almost laughed then. Matt looked like he hated to have anything to do with horses or pegasus. He prefers to feel the ground against his feet.

And everyone took their positions, and soon the wave of the enemies came again.

First they attacked Oswin's group. Oswin, Bartre, and Dorcas fought bravely, with the two axe users getting occasional wounds. Oswin wasn't even scratched. I now have deep respect for heavy armor.

Serra was there to tend to Dorcas and Bartre's occasional wounds. But then again, the enemy might have archers…

"Serra!!" I screamed when I saw that archer aiming at the cleric. Serra saw it too and she yelped—but then Lowen took her with one swift motion and put her behind him, on his horse. Rebecca shot the enemy archer quicker than the enemy archer could shoot Lowen.

When I saw the flank of archers that the enemy had, I shouted an order for Dorcas and Bartre to switch to their hand axes, and Oswin to his javelin. No sooner have I shouted that, I heard the sound of a lock 'clink' open.

"Uh-oh." I heard Lord Hector's voice. "You were right, Kumiko!"

"Of course she should be!" I heard Erk said, as he readied his Thunder tome. "She is the tactician!"

"Hah!" Lord Hector took his axe from its strap on his back, almost splitting Erk who was behind him in half at the process, hadn't Erk stepped away in time. I shook my head. The way Lord Hector swung his axe around… it's so reckless.

"Kumiko! You were right!" I heard that statement again, this time, from Guy, when the wall in front of him and Lord Eliwood started to crumble.

"Guy!" I shrieked when a mass of rock from the wall fell on him. It wasn't that huge, but it must've have a sharp edge, for he did get a slice on his cheek…

I saw Priscilla, from the corner of my eye, move from her position towards the two, but Guy said, "No!"

Priscilla stopped cold in her tracks. "If it dries, it will be a scar…" she reasoned in her soft voice.

"I know." Guy said, but he wasn't particularly looking at Priscilla. "But maybe some other time. The enemies might--"

Just when he said that, the wall crumbled open to an axe of an enemy. Lord Eliwood made one swift attack at a vital area and felled the enemy. Guy paid full attention to the incoming enemies.

--

I was getting back to my usual routine of shouting orders when I suddenly felt my world stop cold.

I put a hand to my right shoulder area, just a little below my collarbone. There was blood.

Not only that, but an arrow stuck in my flesh.

And you know what I did next? I ran around the room, screaming wild, words like "I'm gonna die, I'm gonna DIE!!"

(I must've embarrassed myself for the next fifty years of my life!)

But Rebecca took pity on me, and jumped at me and tackled me to the floor, since I was causing such a distraction. She shut her eyes and pulled the arrow off my flesh.

I screamed, and now that I think of it, I put Serra's screams to shame.

"Longbows," I heard Rebecca say right over me. "They have longbows…"

I watched the blood stain the nightgown I wore. "I'm gonna die."

"Oh, no you're not!" Rebecca managed a laugh. I think she thinks I'm insane. "It's not that deep. Longbows don't cause much damage."

"Don't cause much damage?!" I almost threw her off me. "It stings like hell!"

"Well," she said, "you do know I get worse injuries at the end of each battle. Well, of course, it could've hit you at the heart, and then it's all over… but it didn't. Now, _please_, Kumiko. Stay still. Let's get Priscilla to heal it."

Quickly Priscilla arrived, gasping before she put her staff over me. I closed my eyes since the light from the staff was blinding…

"It's over now," Priscilla finally said after what seemed like a lifetime. "The wound has closed. It'll take at least a day for the bone to fully recover, though."

I opened my eyes to see the wound gone. It still stung and hurt a little, but the hole in my flesh was gone. I made a face at the sight of the blood on my nightdress.

"Oh, we can wash it out." Rebecca suggested.

Then they left to tend to their duties. I felt like lying down there forever. I remember what Sir Alecto told me before. I was always lucky to escape death. I didn't think much of that before, but now, being injured like this, it goes back to mind. I may not be a warrior and I have trained in tactics to avoid killing and being killed, but I still get much of those two. How ironic.

--

"Yes! We survived!" Lord Hector exclaimed when the enemies started to retreat.

God. I survived.

"The rest of the enemy units have begun to retreat. It must be part of their plan. Half of them are already gone."

Lord Hector kicked against the floor. "Blast! You have to admire their efficiency, though. Euban's mercenaries... I won't forget this. We'll likely cross paths again someday. And there's the assassins I fought in Ostia..."

Then Lord Eliwood entered the scene, just after getting some healing from Serra. "Hector? Is something wrong?"

Lord Hector composed himself and shrugged. "No, nothing special. We simply have to tighten our belts and prepare. It appears we have more than one enemy. Oswin!"

"We'll see to the castle defenses at once..." Oswin said.

But Lord Hector shook his head. "No, I grow weary of defending things. Let's get out of here as soon as possible and pursue Marquess Laus. It's time to put him on the defense!"

"Finally," I told Lord Hector. "If you'd have listened to me that there was no point in staying here, we could've avoided unnecessary casualties…"

He blinked at me. "Casualties?"

I pointed to the red in my dress. "I almost got killed!"

"Hasn't one of the healers seen to it?"

"Maybe you should refrain from the battlefield, Kumiko…" Lord Eliwood suggested.

"Right, so I can watch you guys die?!"

Everyone who had followed my thread of conversation with Lord Hector and heard me say that practically froze. I have never raised my voice on Lord Eliwood, not until now…

I felt hands grip me, and I knew it was Matt when he said, "Err, excuse us my lords, but she's a little grumpy because her sleep was cut."

And Matt pulled me away from the scene, his hand on my mouth, and Guy trailing after us.

He replaced me back into my room, bopping me lightly on the head when we got there. "You have just developed some serious attitude problem. Or maybe I was right about you being grumpy when your sleep is cut?"

I said nothing.

"Well, Guy, the bandages." Matt said, and Guy handed him a roll of clean white bandages. I didn't know what those were for. To keep me tied to the bedpost in case I threw a tantrum? After Guy handed the bandages, he left. I find it odd how Matt can always order Guy around.

"It may be healed on the outside, but we're not so sure about the inside. So I hope you don't move it around much for a day or two." Matt said, dismissing my question about the bandages. He took me lightly by the arm, and started bandaging the place that had been hit by an arrow.

"Matt? Is it gonna be a scar?"

He shook his head. "Thank goodness it was healed immediately. It won't scar. It won't bruise like your knee, either."

He had been bandaging in silence for a while, and then he asked, "What's bugging you?"

I raised my knees to my chest and said, "I miss Mark."

"Ah, you miss having someone you're free to tell everything." He said intelligently. How does Matt make such intelligent guesses?

"Yes, you're right."

"Why not me?" he offered. "I'll give you a special deal. For this whole journey, you can treat me like your older brother! Won't that be cool?"

"But I have no older brothers." I told him.

He nodded. "I know. Born to a parents that are knights, the illegitimate daughter of a noble, orphaned when your parents died in war, and then picked up by one of the greatest military strategists of Bern. I know. And your record says you have no brothers."

I managed a laugh. "Hah! I should've known. Did Lord Hector ask you to make a background check on me?"

"Kinda." He admitted. "And your background isn't really impressive, you know. It's too tainted by Bern's military and politics. Maybe that's why he can't trust you."

I said nothing, and he returned to the original topic. "But why not me? You can tell me what's bothering you. I'll keep it a secret."

"Matt…?"

"…Yes?"

"…It's just that I'm… scared. Really scared…"

**End of Chapter.**

--

Author's note:

Whoosh! I managed to cram some ErkTactician and MattTactician in one chapter! (dances)

(Well, someone requested for the ErkTactician, so I made a scene for it, I figured now's a good time.)

Ohmigosh, I'm having much of emotional sap! TEEN ANGST! Maybe because I've just realized, "OMG, my tactician is a 14-year-old girl!" Eh, so maybe the emotions are coming late. Maybe because I was concentrated on the novelization and the script before. Now it's more of the tact's POV. If you want me to revert back to the old Kumi, tell me.

Bah. Sorry for the abrupt ending. It's up to you guys to imagine what happened to Matt and Kumi's talk next, since I'm not including it in the next chapter (gets pelted by various objects) Ouch! Your threats don't scare me! I will be flamed by many people if I turn the novelization into a romance! O.O (Or so I think.)

And I wanted to wound her—impossible for her to be in the battlefield and all and not even be wounded once.

And guys… did it cross your minds that we're almost halfway in the game?? Time flies by fast!

Thanks for everyone that reviewed in the last double update. I hope I get to update soon enough and all.

**Xirysa**, thanks for the cookie! happily munches on cookie

Please review as you see fit. XD

Oh, MattxKumi drawing for Fire Emblem Mew Mew -- fc08./fs28/f/2008/153/c/e/TheTacticianMattbykageshoujo.jpg

Hope ffnet doesn't do anything to the link… try pasting it on your web address browser thingy.


	20. Noble Lady of Caelin

--

CHAPTER Sixteen: NOBLE LADY OF CAELIN

--

_After repelling the mercenary forces of Eubans, Hector prepares to mount a pursuit of Marquess Laus. Lord Darin and his knights are with the instigator of the rebellion, the enigmatic Ephidel. Hector learns where the fugitives were traveling from Ostia's network of spies. However, their destination still remains unknown..._

"Blast! Where on earth has that snake Darin gone?"

Since we were all tired from the attack last night, the lords agreed to spend just one last night on Laus Castle. I barely slept. I practically beat my nightgown senseless in the water, washing it, to get rid of the blood stains. I love that nightgown! It's so cute and adorable. So last night I was possessed by some spirit to wash the blood out of it. Ugh. Those who witnessed me last night must've thought I'm just the weirdest person alive by now.

I sighed when I glanced at my hands. I think I scraped off the first layer of my skin in washing that nightdress.

"I doubt he's left Lycia yet, but... Hector... it's been days." Lord Eliwood told Lord Hector. I was in the middle of their conversation yet again. I was the tactician, and one of their advisors. And I officially signed up with Lord Hector. It wasn't odd for me to be there now. Lord Eliwood continued. "The death of Marquess Santaruz... Our attack on Laus Castle... Word of these things must have reached Lord Uther by now. And yet he shows no sign of action... Why?"

"I'm sure he has his reasons." Lord Hector defended Marquess Ostia, his brother. "My brother has other concerns tying his hands right now."

"What do you mean?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"It's Bern. We've received disturbing reports over the past few months. King Desmond is behaving oddly. If he sees even the slightest crack in Lycia's defenses, we believe he'll invade with all of Bern's might behind him. My brother has only recently become marquess, as well as head of the Lycian League. He can't allow another country to see any weakness or discord."

Ah. Bern, and His Highness, King Desmond… each one of us in the Tactician Guild don't speak fondly of him. Sir Alecto even refuses to speak of the King of Bern. I know it's odd for me to talk of nobles and lords and such, but when a group of aspiring tacticians (and a couple spies) sit down together and chat, politics is an unavoidable subject. I hate talking about it and let the others do all the talking, but sometimes I overhear things. Anko especially knows a lot if the subject is Bern. She lived there all her life, after all, and maybe her father, too.

"He has to present the face of stability and strength, is that it?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Yes." Lord Hector answered. "It seems every country has a spy working in Ostia right now. They all want to assess the new marquess's temperament and skill. If they sense anything wrong, word will spread like wildfire."

"Hector, you're the marquess's brother... Would not being at his side be seen as something 'wrong'?"

I entered the conversation with a chuckle. The two lords have been ignoring me, but they turned to me then. I said, "The marquess's brother is a well-known lout. If Lord Hector _were_ at court, _then_ they'd sense something wrong."

Lord Hector groaned, and admitted, "Heck, you're right."

Lord Eliwood was smiling when he asked, "You're not too proud of that reputation, are you?"

"Not in the least."



I thought the conversation had ended then and there, and I was about to slip away, but Lord Hector turned to me and asked, "What about you? Are you alright?"

"Excuse me?" I looked at him, puzzled.

"You weren't acting completely sane last night." He told me.

Darn, Lord Hector. Turning the spotlight at me…

I was thinking of what to say, when Lord Eliwood gently took my hands. I winced. The skin was peeling off, and reddish, almost looking like it was bleeding.

"This isn't good, Kumiko." Lord Eliwood told me gravely. "What happened?"

Lord Hector seemed to know. He should, having Matt trail after me all the time. "She washed the blood off the nightgown she got, like a mad person."

"You could have asked someone else to do it." Lord Eliwood suggested.

I shook my head and pulled my hands from Lord Eliwood. "It's _my_ dress."

I held my hands to myself. I remembered, back in the Tactician Guild. I never had to wash my clothes. I tried, but I couldn't do it well. In the end, Mark ended up washing all my clothes for me ever since I can remember. That's why my hands were always soft…

"Bah. Ask Oswin to wash your dresses, for all I care." Lord Hector said.

"Please, Lord Hector. Don't bother yourself with me. I'm fine."

"So long as you don't go yelling around in the battlefield again next time like a mad person."

I winced again. I felt like I was stabbed. I made a mental note to self that I should be more mature. I _will_ be more mature. I stood up.

"I'll take my leave." I told them.

I found Oswin there by the door, but I walked on past him.

--

"My lords?" Oswin made a questioning face at the two lords.

"Yes, Oswin?" Eliwood turned to the knight.

"Lady Kumiko, she just…"

"Yes, she did." Hector snapped. "We can't have her acting immaturely in the middle of battles. She's too soft. If she continues on like this, our lives will be in danger."

"She's young." Oswin pointed out.

"Bah. You think Eliwood and I are old, Oswin?"

"Hector…" Eliwood began, "You're being too harsh. You owe her an apology."

Hector groaned, and admitted, "Yes, I guess so."

--

"Lowen? Do you have a couple tarts there?"

"W-What?" Lowen appeared surprised when I asked him that on the breakfast table. Rebecca and Bartre were also there by the table, taking their breakfast. Bartre was eating his with much enthusiasm. I don't blame him. The food was good. Rebecca and Lowen managed something tasteful, since they raided the castle kitchen.

"Tarts?" Bartre stopped eating to look at me and blink. "Those small, sweet things?"

"Yes, yes," I nodded. "Do you have some?"

Bartre shrugged. Lowen said, "Do you want me to look for some in the kitchen, Lady Kumiko?"

I shook my head. "No, thank you, Lowen. I'll just go later."

We continued to eat in silence. Odd, even Bartre ate in silence.

"Kumiko?" Rebecca broke the eerie quietness. I looked up to her.

"Yes?"

"I can wash your clothes for you."

I said nothing.

--

"Oh, Bartre?" I approached the fighter after I finished my meal. He turned to me and blinked. "You can have this." I handed the _Secret Book_ to him.

He blinked at me again. "This… book?"

I nodded.

"Eh? Do I look like a magic person?"

I shook my head. "No, Bartre. That book teaches you how to fight better."

He flipped through the book, and said, "Oh… that's bad. I can't read."

I sighed. I should have known.

"Wait!" He suddenly exclaimed, and turned back a few pages. Aha! There were drawings on them. "Oh… nice drawings."

Wow! The instructions had illustrations to go with them! Odd, last I checked the book there were no drawings at all… ooh. Most mysterious…

"Do you think you can understand it, Bartre?"

"Are you calling me stupid?" he asked. I backed away a little. I rewound the scene in my mind, and recalled that Bartre didn't speak with anger or such. It was just a little loud, but not angry, annoyed, livid, furious, or anything similar. Then he just turned to the book and said, "Yes, I can understand the drawings."



"Then that's good."

--

I was raiding the kitchen for the tarts when Matt rushed in, shouting, "Castle Caelin is under attack!"

I emerged from the cupboards successful. "Matt! Look, I found some tarts!"

He paused, and gave me a puzzled look. "Did you just hear what I said?"

"No." I opened a the jar of tarts, and tasted a piece.

"I said Castle Caelin is--"

"Horrible!" I shrieked. The tarts tasted a little too sweet and salty. Basically, just horrible. The crust was crumbly and too soft, the filling too--

"I said, CASTLE CAELIN HAS BEEN ATTACKED BY LAUS!"

"What?!" I screamed, dropping the tart in the process. Nevermind that. It's nothing compared to the ones Anko got for me in Bern. But… this! Matt just said Castle Caelin was under attack? Lyn… Kent… Sain… Florina… and Wil! They were under attack??

"Yes. And we help them, under Lord Eliwood's orders. Come on, we're clearing up your stuff!"

He and I rushed to my room and I got dressed. My traveling clothes were a green hooded short robe with some gold embroidery, and a forest green short skirt. Sir Alecto bought it for me, and I've been wearing it ever since. Then I stacked map upon map and paper upon paper onto Matt's arms. I stuffed my logbook, the ink and quill and other things into my bag. And then we rushed off. I never acted so fast in my entire life.

--

"Milady, I've returned, and I have brought news." Kent spoke as he got off his horse, Lyndis, Sain, Wil, and Florina around him, waiting for his much-needed report. "Laus soldiers are scattered from the castle to the edge of this forest. There must be at least 50 soldiers!"

This earned a small gasp from Florina, and Sain knotted his eyebrows in some expression of puzzlement. "Are you sure about this, milady?" Sain asked Lyn, the Lady of Caelin. "We barely escaped. Going back to the castle would mean almost certain death."

Lyn shook her head, sending the long, pony-tailed hair behind her back to sway. "My grandfather is in the castle. I left the castle on his orders, but... I can't leave him in there alone!"

Lyn closed her eyes for a brief moment, trying hard to mask the panic in her.

Wil spoke as he looked around the terrain of the forest they were in, "The numbers we face... Rescuing Lord Hausen will be no easy task."

"I wonder if we can expect any reinforcements." Sain said, sounding hopeful, as he looked up to the clear skies, making his statement sound like they were directed to Elimine.

Kent recalled something because of Sain's words. "I overheard some of the Laus soldiers talking. They claim that Lord Eliwood invaded Laus and drove them out."

Surprise was clearly seen in Lyn's face. "Eliwood? Why would he attack Laus?"



"It gets even more interesting than that..." Kent said, "Not only did Marquess Laus abandon his castle, but he also left his son, Erik, behind when he fled here to Caelin."

"That's despicable! He abandoned his own son?" Sain shook his head.

"But at least we know Eliwood is in Laus." Lyn pointed out. "We might be able to ask him for help...Assuming there were a way to contact him."

Wil was still holding on to every word in the conversation, so he suggested, "If we are to avoid being caught, the best path would be through the forest. Shall I go?"

Lyn gave a contemplative nod. "I suspect you're right. Horses cannot move well in woods... It'll take you a while, but you can travel lightly--"

"Lady Lyndis! I'll go!" Florina suddenly declared, tugging a little on her pegasus's reins. "I can fly above the forest. I can be in Laus faster than anyone else."

Everyone, but most especially Lyn, was surprised. "Florina? You can't do this on your own! It's not possible!" Lyn protested.

Florina shook her head as she mounted on her pegasus. "Thanks to my time here, I'm no longer as timid around men as I used to be. And I've met Lord Eliwood before. I'm sure I can do this on my own."

Lyn only sighed, and said, "It will be terribly dangerous... You understand, don't you?"

"Yes. But... I promised myself I would become braver for you. I'm not the weak little Florina I used to be. I'll be fine. Trust me!"

Lyn nodded, a hint of a smile showing on her face. "You've convinced me. The job's yours, Florina. But you must promise me that you won't try anything impossible!"

"Yes, my lady. Farewell!"

--

"Did you hear our meek Florina?" Sain giddily asked the others as soon as the pegasus knight took flight. "She sounded most forceful! Beautiful!"

Kent plainly said, "She's become a full-fledged pegasus knight."

"Yes, she has." Lyn nodded.

"All for you, Lady Lyndis," Wil pointed out. "That's quite gallant."

--

Castle Caelin is under attack. **Castle Caelin is under attack. CASTLE CAELIN IS UNDER ATTACK!**

Oh, what does a simple, fourteen-year-old tactician have to do to live a normal, pressure-free life?? Then again, being a tactician was not at all normal…

In my country of Bern, most tacticians hired for the country are warriors themselves. I never knew if Sir Alecto fought, but I'm guessing he did with the way he so accurately assesses a person's skill with weapons. And if he didn't, from who would Anko learn her craft with the dagger?



I was not a warrior. Nor was any of us in the Tactician Guild. Some had skills in the fighting arts, but we were still mostly concentrated on tactics, with Xarin and Anko concentrating on espionage. But Sir Alecto says that espionage and war tactics were generally the same. Spywork is only war on a smaller scale, but with plently more options. To Anko, it was a game.

A year ago, I thought the same of war and battles. But it changed. Sir Alecto taught us all the value of establishing relationships with your warriors. To know them all personally, their capabilities, their limits, and their weaknesses. This, he says, is a surefire way to make a small group defeat odds with minimal casualty. I always stood by the things he taught us.

And now, here on the road to Caelin, I needed his words more than ever. The things he taught us… understanding all the units… promoted friendship with them. Now that Lyn and the others are involved… I won't work for money, fame, or to prove myself. It's just to keep my friends alive…

And that's the best driving force a tactician needs to be flawless. God, Sir Alecto, I love you.

--

"I've spotted the enemy... Why are their archers advancing? They're aiming at something up high." Lord Hector spoke when we were only a forest away from Castle Caelin. We stopped over along the mountains to get a view of the terrain. And Lord Hector was right. Even from a distance, I could see a Laus soldier, by their armor. And their archers _were_ advancing. Most odd. You don't rush the archers first in battle unless…

"Lord Eliwood, look! Up there! A pegasus knight!" Marcus screamed and pointed to the skies, bringing to our attention a lone pegasus knight on her mount… with lavender hair and…

Gosh! Is that—it is!

"Lord Eliwood!" Florina screamed in her tiny voice, and she raised her the lance in her hand to make herself more visible. She flew faster toward us and…

"Could it really be... Florina, is that you?" Lord Eliwood asked over the sky.

"Yes! I'm Lady Lyndis's--"

"Ballista!" Rebecca suddenly screamed. She was on lookout duty. I found just what she was talking about. For good measure, Florina led her pegasus higher in the skies to avoid the archers… but the ballista wasn't something she can just easily avoid by raising her altitude!

I saw an enemy ballista approaching, and Lord Eliwood must have, too, because he screamed, "Florina!! Fly lower!!"

"Wha-- Oh! Aaaaaaah!!"

"Florina!!" Lord Eliwood and I screamed at the same time.

I shut my eyes out of fear for what happened to Florina. I heard Lord Hector yelp, and then there was a tense silence of some sort in the air. It was only then that I dared to open my eyes.

I found Florina and her pegasus disheveled on the ground. It looks like the pegasus or Florina evaded a shot from the ballista, thank goodness! They just had a bad landing, with the pegasus lying on the ground, wings spread open…

"Can you hear me? Florina?" Lord Eliwood immediately ran to the pegasus knight. I was not too far behind.

Florina shuffled a little on her position on the ground. She opened her eyes. "Lord Eliwood?"



I heard some sort of grumble and groan in the background. The deep voice was unmistakably Lord Hector's, but I looked around and I couldn't find him. Maybe I was hearing things.

Lord Eliwood nodded, and told Florina softly, "Those archers almost hit you. You avoided the arrows, but you lost your balance and fell."

"And yet... I'm not hurt. I fell from such a height. What—"

"You got lucky. I didn't. You landed right on top of me!"

Now THAT was unmistakably Lord Hector's voice! And now I finally knew where to look for him. We turned to look on the ground, and found Lord Hector, hidden under the pegasus' wings!

"Oh!" Florina got up and pulled on her pegasus' reins, making it wake up and get up. Florina was as red as a tomato. I giggled to myself.

Lord Hector got up and dusted himself a little. Lord Eliwood said to Florina, "Hector saved you."

"I saved no one!" Lord Hector said. "I simply gave her somewhere soft to land! A bale of hay could have done more than I did."

"Oh... Oh, I'm so sorry!"

"You were lucky, Florina," Lord Eliwood said with a giggle. "If you had fallen on me, I couldn't have caught you. Or your pegasus, either!"

"They fell one after the other! I couldn't get out of the way!"

"M-M-My pegasus, too?" Florina's voice was shivering, and she was still red. "I am so... I'm truly... I don't know what to say! I... um... I..."

"No apology needed," Lord Hector said. "You do need to tell us why you're here, however."

"Yes, of... of course!"

--

_Lady Lyndis is beyond that forest. She's waiting for a chance to assault the castle. She's fine. However, Lord Hausen's been captured. He's still in the castle._

I was worried sick about what may be happening to Lyn, Kent, Sain, and Wil… and most especially Lord Hausen. But it wasn't time to panic. Lyn is fine, as I heard Florina say.

I rolled out a huge map of Caelin on the grass. As I said, among my maps, the ones in Caelin are most detailed. They were gifts to me by Lord Hausen. This map had the area surrounding Castle Caelin.

I looked up around the area. I was sitting by a cliff, from a mountain, examining the view below. I studied the enemy soldiers… this is bad. There must be at least fifty of them!

I also marked in the location of the ballista on the map. They were something to watch out for. Aside from that, the thick forest below concerns me. It would slow down horses… and there must be enemies hiding in there that I can't see. It's true we can use the woods to our advantage, but so can the enemies…

I drew a rectangle around my estimated area that will be the battlefield. Just after I did that, I heard someone speak.

"Are you done yet?"

I didn't have to turn around to figure who it was. It was Matt. He probably followed me to the mountain.

"Give me a dagger," I told him.

He walked towards me and said, "Right, you just suddenly go off alone to some mountain cliff, and now you ask me for a dagger?"

"I was examining the surroundings from a high place," I told him. "And I have to cut this map."

"I'll do it," he said, and crouched down to the map, and sliced along the lines I marked with his dagger. I think he didn't trust me with weapons, thinking I'll probably slice myself clumsily if I held one. Well, he was probably right.

When he was done, he handed me the part of the map he cut out, and rolled the original map.

"We'd better go down now before the enemy advances on us," I told him. He nodded, and we ran down back to the group.

--

The group was huddled around me and the map I laid out on the floor, listening to my instructions. "The thick woods will deter movement, but when we tread through it, be sure to use its advantages. We can use the terrain for defense and hiding. And the ballista arrows won't easily target us.

"Merlinus has already set up camp here." I pointed to the area on the map and encircled it and wrote M on it. "Erk can guard Merlinus. Erk, as you can see, there's a cliff here overlooking the enemies. When the time is right, you can attack them with some long-ranged magic. But remember, Merlinus' defense comes first. Is that clear?"

Erk nodded. I continued, "Florina, this," I circled a huge area around the map, "is the estimated area where the ballista can fire. So avoid going in there. For this battle, warn this village to the south," I pointed to the village on the map. "Lord Eliwood, Priscilla and Marcus can go with you. Then you can warn this other village and if possible meet with Lady Lyn."

"Y-Yes!" Florina said.

"Everyone else can go into the forest and head to Castle Caelin—oh!" I saw Serra and remembered her orders were supposed to be different. She was a cleric, and defenseless. "Serra, stay on watch for injuries. I want you to just stay in one place and let the injured come to you. Or maybe Matthew can—"

"Watch over you." Matt finished my statement for me. He read exactly what was on my mind. He didn't look like he was disturbed about the order, though.

"Lowen and Rebecca, stay with me," I looked at the two. "This is a huge field. You two will deliver messages for me."

They nodded, and with a few more words, we were good to go.

--

"Erk, be careful," I told the mage, as I handed Merlinus some of my heavy things so that he can put them in the tent. "If there's ever any trouble here, send us a signal. Shoot a Fire spell to the air or something."

"Actually, Kumiko…" Erk looked at me with some inexplicable grave expression. He then showed his tome for me. The cover was colored yellow gold and brown. "This is a Thunder tome, and it's my only tome. And it's about to be exhausted."



I blinked at him. The tome looked perfectly new to me. But I didn't have time to ask. "Merlinus!" I called on the merchant, "Do we have any extra Anima tomes on stock?"

Merlinus peered from his tent and said, "We don't even have Anima tomes in stock!"

I groaned. And then I remembered something. I ran into the tent to get my bag, and quickly got out a red Fire tome from it. I ran back to Erk and handed it to him.

"Where did you get this?" he asked me.

"You gave it to me a year ago. I always brought it with me." I told him with a smile.

"It was supposed to be my gift to you…" he said, but then he shook his head. "But this is an important time. Alright. I'll use it."

I ran off, running past everyone else preparing their weapons. And then I heard Florina's unmistakable tiny voice.

"Uh, Kumiko... Um... It's me... Florina. Um... I'm... I'm over here."

I turned around and found Florina dragging her pegasus behind her. I managed a smile. "Hi, Florina. Why aren't you with Lord Eliwood and Marcus yet?"

"Uhm…"

I then just ran to her and hugged her. I missed her! "Oh, Florina! I can't believe it's been a year. We have a ton to talk about! But it'll have to wait for later. Now, we have to help Lyn."

"Yes! We… We can do this, right?"

"Of course we can!"

--

"Matt! I have an injury over here!" I screamed in the middle of the woods and all the fighting. I couldn't see either Matt or Serra around. The forest was that thick. Lowen has a wound on his side, and it was bleeding. A ballista arrow got lucky to hit him. Rebecca was busy applying first aid on Lowen's wound…

I looked around. The others were still fighting. I could see Lord Hector and Oswin and Bartre and Dorcas and Guy ahead of us. They look like they could manage.

"You called?" Matt suddenly appeared from a bush, and Serra trailed behind him. I can see Serra had difficulty walking in her long white cleric's robes.

"Ooh! Matthew! Will you please slow down?! You are supposed to guard me!" Serra told Matt. I saw Matt roll his eyes.

Before Serra could start talking a lot, I cut in and said, "Serra, please heal him."

Serra said no more, and just went towards Lowen.

"Kumi! …KUMI!"

I looked around to see who called me. I found Guy, and he pointed up to the sky.

Oh, my goodness. A ballista arrow. Headed toward us!



"Everyone, everyone!" I said to the group before me, "There's a ballista arrow!"

We managed to look up to the skies for a brief moment, and then we all moved in a split second.

And finally, the ballista arrow hit the ground. We were all saved.

I turned to look around. Lowen and Rebecca were together, with Rebecca helping Lowen to stand up. Heck, Lowen was even dragging his horse by the reins. In another area, Matt was holding tightly onto me and Serra. I remember he immediately dragged me and Serra the moment he saw the arrow from the skies.

"Accursed ballista," I heard Matt whisper.

Yes, ballista and arrows were annoying indeed. I remembered the arrow that was once stuck in my shoulder. Though the wound has closed, I can still sometimes feel pain in my shoulder.

I think we're in for a rough battle.

--

"We're battling Laus soldiers outside!" Florina explained to the village chief, who listened to her intently. "I'm Florina, a soldier of Caelin! Please lock up the village!"

"Yes, we'll do as you say!" the village chief said, and announced to the other villagers around him, "Order the village gates to be closed! Tell the villagers to stay in their houses for the meantime!"

Florina was about to leave the village, when an elderly woman tugged on her sleeve.

"Castle Caelin's been seized by Marquess Laus's men," the woman said, "We don't know what's become of Lord Hausen... We've been saving this for our daughter's wedding, but... it might serve you better now. Please help Marquess Caelin. Our lord needs rescuing."

The woman handed Florina a round red gemstone. The pegasus knight took it, and said, "Y-yes! Thank you!"

--

"Ahhh!" Priscilla shrieked when she felt a gust of wind towards her, and heard the flapping of pegasus wings. She shut her eyes close out of fear…

"Priscilla!" Eliwood screamed when he saw Priscilla behind them, about to be attacked by the pegasus knight.

Instinctively, Marcus took a javelin and threw it to the skies, to the enemy pegasus knight. He hit the pegasus right at the stomach, making the beast and the soldier riding on it fall to the ground.

"…Thank you." Priscilla said, in almost a whisper. She then fixed her hair and they continued onward to meet with Lyndis' group.

--

"Thank you!" I heard Guy scream as I was listing down things to buy as I walked. We've finally made our way out of the woods, and without any casualties that Serra can't handle. I looked up to Guy to see what he meant.

I saw a man burning in the ground. Yikes. I immediately pulled my eyes away, but at least I know what Guy meant now. He meant to thank Erk, who must've cast the spell from afar. I turned to look at Erk.

Uh-oh. Erk was fighting a group of axemen! Where did those guys come from? Were they bandits? Reinforcements? I don't know!



"Lowen!" I called on the cavalier, "Go back to camp and help Erk there!"

Lowen set off, and just as he did, Florina landed right next to me. I backed away from her, fearing that I might get stepped on by the pegasus. It was safe for Florina to fly around now—the enemy must've exhausted all their ballista arrows.

"There are reinforcements coming!" Florina reported, "From north of the camp! Erk's fighting bandits, and there are still enemy reinforcements to come! He needs support there!"

"I know!" I told Florina.

"And Lord Eliwood has made contact with Lady Lyn's group!"

I managed to smile. "That's great! Who's Lady Lyn with?"

"Kent, Sain, and Wil!"

I made quick decisions in my head, and then handed Florina the list of things I needed bought. They were mostly weapons. "Florina, first tell Kent and Sain to help Erk. Lead them to camp, and help there as well! Also, tell one of them, maybe Wil, to buy these supplies for me. Here's the money," I handed her a money pouch.

"I have this from the village as well," Florina showed me a red gemstone.

"Good. Sell it." I told her, and then she nodded and then she set off.

--

"How are you holding up?" I screamed over to Lord Hector, Dorcas, Bartre, Oswin and Guy.

"Fine, just fine!" Lord Hector screamed back. I was about to believe him when suddenly Dorcas groaned in pain and was wounded by an enemy myrmidon!

"Oh, my lord!" I shrieked. "Serra," I turned to the cleric and the thief beside me, "Please heal Dorcas! Matt, make sure Serra's safe!"

The two immediately ran to Dorcas, and I screamed, "Guy! Matt! Take care of some axe-users and all the sword-users! Leave the lance-using soldiers to Lord Hector and Bartre and Dorcas! Sir Oswin! Attack the sword-using enemies, too!"

--

"Oh, my goodness! Oh, my gracious! I'm gonna die!!" Merlinus shrieked as he ran around the area.

"I have just killed the last one of those bandits." Erk wiped the sweat off his forehead, and shut close his Fire Tome. "We're safe now."

Just after he said that, he heard horses running towards them…

And saw that they were enemy reinforcements.

"Just stay in your tent," Erk sternly told Merlinus. "And don't go out until it's safe."

"Ah!! I knew it! There's more of them!"

"I'll hold them off. Stay there!"



When Erk ran to meet the enemy cavaliers, Lowen arrived to meet the mage there.

"Kumi told me to help you here," Lowen said.

"That's good. But looking at the sheer number of them, a little more help wouldn't hurt…"

"Uhm… Erk!" Florina called from the skies. Erk looked up to see the pegasus knight. "We're here to help!"

"…_We_?" Erk wondered.

"Watch out!"

And just then, Kent shoved Erk aside, and stabbed the enemy cavalier that was right before him.

"Kent!" Erk recognized the face that just saved him.

"You are… Erk, correct? A pleasure to be fighting alongside you again."

"Hey! Mage boy!" A voice beside Erk said. The mage turned to find Sain, who just took down an enemy, with the help of Lowen. "Long time no see!"

"Stop calling me 'mage boy'."

Kent looked ahead to see more enemies riding towards them. "Erk, stay behind and support us with your magic."

"Understood."

--

I wiped the sweat off my forehead using the neckline of my dress. It was a habit of mine that both Mark and Sir Alecto told me to stop ages ago. Old habits die hard.

"Is everyone safe?" I asked Sir Marcus, who was beside me.

"It seems so," Sir Marcus said. I looked around. He was right. Serra and Priscilla were busy healing, but thankfully it looked like they could handle the wounds that were presented to them.

"Kumi! Kumiko, is that you?!"

I looked behind to see Erk, Florina, Kent, and Sain, and Merlinus. They were carrying the items with them. It was Sain who called me with such an excited look on his face. Ah… it's really been a year, but it seems Sain hasn't changed at all. I can tell with that insane smile on his face. I smiled at them, and said, "We should position Merlinus' tent right outside the castle. I hope you guys help with putting the items…"

"Yes! Of course! Anything for you, Kumi!"

--

"You are _killing _me, Matt!" I told the thief as he presented to me a sketch of the inner castle of Caelin. It was one thing I didn't have—I didn't have a map or blueprints of Castle Caelin. I may have been in there a year ago, but I don't exactly remember the castle's ins and outs. And here Matt comes to me with a sketch of what's inside the castle? "Did you go inside on your own while we were preparing out here again?? That's dangerous!"

"That's my job!" he told me, and then he turned to the piece of parchment he gave me. "That's just one floor. The Laus soldiers are only concentrated on the floor, you see. If we clear that floor, the remnants will be easy to wipe out. And make sure you send me to get the treasure."

"What's happening here?" Guy appeared from behind me and tried to peer at the map Matt made.

"Guy," I turned to him, "Are you well? Has your injury been healed?"

"Yup!" Guy said, showing me his arm for evidence. "It's as good as new. Priscilla's really amazing…"

"Priscilla?" I raised an eyebrow and smiled mischievously at Guy.

The mere mention of the name made Guy turn beet red. "W-What? I just said that she was an amazing healer!"

Matt and I started laughing.

"W-What?!" Guy was still red. Ha ha, he's so cute.

"I'll tell you what, Guy," I told him, "For the next battle, go and guard Priscilla."

His eyes widened in surprise, but he just said, "Well, if it's an order, Kumi, I don't see why I shouldn't follow! But make sure you're not… pulling anything, okay?"

Matt and I laughed again. Guy rolled his eyes and left, probably to get a spare sword from Merlinus.

"See! I told you Guy's crushing on Priscilla!" Matt told me.

--

"Is the tent set up?" I went to Merlinus' tent to see the merchant in there, arranging newly bought items from the shop. Kent, Sain, Florina, and Wil were helping him. Matt was trailing behind me, whistling.

"We're about to finish, Kumiko!" Merlinus shouted from inside the tent.

"Kumiko!" suddenly, someone embraced me from behind. I almost choked on the tightness of the embrace, but when I was released from it, I turned around to see Lyn…

"Lyn!" I shrieked.

"Is it really you, Kumiko?" Lyn held me on the shoulders, and looked like she was examining me. "So good to see you! Have you been well?"

"Yes!" I told her. "I met Lord Eliwood in Pherae and he asked for my service! Oh, Lyn! It's been so long!"

"Well met, Kumiko. Good to see you again." I heard Kent's unmistakable voice from behind me. I turned around to see him and Sain and Wil and Florina…

"Kumiko!" Sain approached me, and all of a sudden, embraced me. And when he let go of me, He looked at me from head to toe and said, "Ah… It's been a year, but you still take my breath away!"

"S-Sain!" I pulled away from him, giggling. "You haven't changed at all!"

Lyn giggled as well. "Sadly, you're right about that, Kumi."

I turned around and met Wil's eyes. He smiled, and shrugged, and said, "Hello, Kumiko! Has it really been a year?"

I smiled back, and went to him and hugged him. He laughed, and he said, "Ah, you didn't change at all, did you? You're still a sweet girl."



I shrugged, and said, "Well, I think I've gotten smarter."

Everyone laughed. I could still hear Matt, though, whistling.

I turned around to face the thief. He just grinned, and said, "Now _that_ is unfair. When you saw me again, you didn't act this excited and happy."

"Yeah, yeah…" I told him, and teased, "Just tell me if you want a hug."

"No, thank you."

Matt was about to run off, when Lyn suddenly pointed a finger at him.

"Hey! You! You're—"

"Um... No, I'm not. You've got the wrong fellow..." Matt said, and began to run off. "Bye now!"

"Stop right there," Lyn said, "Matthew!"

Matt stopped cold, and turned around to face Lady Lyn with a smile. "Saw right through my disguise, didn't you, Layd Lyndis?"

"What are you talking about?" Lyn looked puzzled. "How could I not recognize you? You're... you!"

"Yes, but I had to at least try to fool you. Being memorable is not the best quality for a spy to have."

"Spy? I thought you were a thief?"

But Matt didn't answer anymore, because he ran off, as quick as that.

"He's a spy serving Ostia," I told Lyn. "Seems he was one all along. A year ago, he received orders from the duke of Ostia to investigate the crisis in Caelin and to side on whoever he sees is right. So he sided with us."

"Well… that's good," was all that Lyn said and then she turned to me again. "Everyone who remained in Caelin speaks of you fondly. We're always saying 'I wonder where Kumiko is...'"

"Lyn, this isn't the best time to catch up…" I reminded her.

"Yes, you are right here. We're here to rescue my grandfather. Kumiko, will you help me again?"

I turned to her, and looked at the Caelin knights—Wil, Sain, Kent and Florina—and told them, "Of course! That's what I'm here for! We're going to rescue Lord Hausen!"

**End of Chapter.**

**--**

**Author's Note:**

I just realized that it's about two months or something since I last updated. I'm sorry. I think the only explanation to this is "We now live in the _mountins_" (exactly like my brother says it) and it's tiresome to hike a mountain to get to use the internet. Boohoo. I hope we finally get internet 

connection for our home. I'd have no prob updating if that were the case. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter.


	21. Whereabouts Unknown

--

CHAPTER Seventeen : WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN

--

_Eliwood, Hector, and colleagues defeat Bauker, one of Marquess Laus's lackeys. They then press on toward Castle Caelin. Yet inside the castle many Laus soldiers remain. They begin their assault on the castle to save Marquess Caelin._

"Kumiko," Lord Hector tapped me lightly on the shoulder, and I turned to face him. He was looking ahead into Caelin Castle. I was studying the sketch of the castle's interior that Matt gave me.

"Yes, Lord Hector?"

"We can't count on the captured Caelin soldiers to be able to fight," he said. "We'll have to protect them as much as possible."

I was about to say something when Lord Hector suddenly went, "What!?"

I backed away ever so slightly from him in surprise. "My lord…?"

"That chill feeling…" Lord Hector looked around. "Someone's watching… and wants me dead!"

The way he said it and the look on his face made even me shiver.

And then he just shrugged. "…No sense in worrying, though. I'll deal with it when it happens. Let's go, Kumiko! Let's hear your plan!"

--

"Stay here to guard Merlinus," I told Serra, Sain, Kent, Florina, and Bartre. I was not about to be tricked by those enemy reinforcements again. Ohh, I almost lost Erk and Merlinus in the earlier battle hadn't Kent and companions helped them! That's why I made sure there are more than adequate people to guard Merlinus's tent this time.

"But Kumiko!" Sain said, "We're Caelin soldiers, Kent and I! We should be the ones to rescue our castle and lord!"

"Alright," I gave in, but not altogether. "You can go knock some Laus fools or two. But after that, come back here to defend Merlinus, 'kay?"

Sain and Kent nodded, but Bartre turned to me and asked, "Why am I not going to the battle, Kumi?"

"You're gonna guard Merlinus," I sternly told him. "Enemy reinforcements might arrive here. If they do, then you get to fight."

"Oh," he said. "Well, that's good!"

"Florina," I turned to the pegasus knight. "Matt reported a lot of archers inside, so I'm not taking you with the attack group. Stay here and watch Merlinus, OK?"

"Uhm… okay, Kumi…"

"Serra!" I turned to the cleric. "You know what to do, right?"

"Of course, Kumiko!" Serra told me with a big grin. "Just leave it to me!"



"And get them under control in case they do something insane," I whispered to Serra, and she nodded. "You know how Sain can do something mad, like attacking an axe-user with a lance. Bartre can do something mad, too. Make sure they don't get themselves killed."

"Uh-huh."

So I went over to the others, who were already readying their things. There was no time for chat, and everyone was serious in their preparations. When I've briefed them of what to do, I went to the front where Lord Hector and Eliwood were.

"We're ready to roll, Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector," I told them.

"Alright," Lord Hector said, as he pulled his axe from the straps hanging on his back, and that made me and Lord Eliwood back away. He's just so careless.

"Everyone! LET'S GO!!"

--

"Rargghh!!" Bartre screamed when he and Dorcas were having a go at the huge castle doors. We had to get in first, so Bartre and Dorcas were chopping a hole in the big, big door for us. Impatient, Lord Hector got his axe and joined in on the chopping as well.

I was wondering how long this was going to last when someone tapped me on the shoulder. "Excuse me?"

I turned around. It was Erk. "Yes, Erk?"

"Target the hinges," he told me, as he pointed to the hinges on the big, big door. There were four, two of them were positioned way up high on the big, big door. It was not that high; I could reach it if I stood on top of a tall chair and tiptoed. Maybe we could hit it with hand-axes? Maybe we could jump before hitting it? I don't know, I'm not an axe-user. But I went over to the group of the three axe-users and told them my idea. Soon, they started hitting the two hinges on the side, and soon those two hinges fell. Lord Hector actually reached and impaired the two higher hinges with a hand-axe. Amazing.

When the hinges were all destroyed, the door fell open into the castle with a loud thud.

"We charge!!" Lord Hector screamed, and the attackers ran in with much enthusiasm, like they're all excited to kill some Laus fools. I've never seen them this excited. I blinked in disbelief.

--

"Lady Lyn!"

"Ah!" Lyn turned around to see a Laus soldier aiming to attack her with his lance. She backed away immediately, and prepared to draw her sword when the Laus soldier was suddenly engulfed in flames.

Lyn blinked, surprised. She wondered who helped her, but soon she found out when Erk spoke and went towards her. "Lady Lyndis, please stay back. I'll serve as the advance guard."

"You... Is that you, Erk?"

Erk nodded. "Yes, my lady. A pleasure to see you."

"Erk, why are you here in Caelin?" Lyn couldn't help asking.



"For reasons of my own, I've joined up with Eliwood's company. We're here to rescue Caelin. Please, Lady Lyndis, would you kindly withdraw?"

She shook her head. "My grandfather is here. I'm not going to retreat from this battle!"

He sighed, and said, "You might be a noblewoman, but you haven't changed at all. Very well, at least stay near me. I'll be your escort."

"Thank you, Erk."

--

"PRISCILLA!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, which is what anyone would do when Lord Eliwood is there in your arms, with a bleeding wound from a lance stab around his chest, leaning a little nearer to the armpit. While Lord Eliwood was not dying, his face clearly showed his pain. And moreover, if the wound isn't closed, Lord Eliwood would die from losing much blood…

Priscilla finally arrived, with Guy right behind her. When she saw Lord Eliwood's state, she immediately raised her staff and concentrated on healing the lord. Lord Eliwood and I were enveloped in the healing light from the Mend staff.

And then I saw an archer from afar, aiming at Priscilla.

"Guy!" I screamed, and at the same time, the myrmidon found the enemy archer. The archer was about to let go of his arrow when, thinking fast, Guy threw his Killing Edge, point first, to the archer. While it wasn't a javelin, miraculously, it hit the archer and felled him.

Guy was left, amazed at what he just did. When you're in a tight spot, you're really able to do things you never thought you'd do, I guess. Then Guy ran off to get back his Killing Edge. It was an expensive sword, he wasn't just about going to let it be left there in some enemy's flesh.

And then Lord Eliwood got up, his wound gone. "Thank you, Priscilla," he said.

Priscilla just nodded, and immediately left, because she was called on by someone else.

--

"What do you mean, you're not going to get the treasure? Are you sick?"

"No, no, no!" he told me, and then he made a sidestep to the right, and evaded an arrow by doing it. "I mean, I'd get the farther chest first!"

"What do you mean? There's a chest to that room—" I pointed to the left, "—and it's so much nearer. What do you mean, you'd get the farthest chest first?"

"Duck!" he said, and we did, at the same time. And arrow flew right over us again. I bet a thief and a young girl in the middle of a battlefield looked like easy targets to the enemy archers. Well, bad for them, because I'm with Matt, and he seems to be able to predict where an arrow would come from and such.

"What I mean is," he explained while we were still crouched on the floor, "that the farther treasure room is closer to enemy camp. This area, aside from those pesky archers, is already rid of most enemies. What I mean is… if an enemy thief would come, what chest would he open first? What treasure room would he raid first?"

"…The one nearest to him, I guess?"



"Bingo!" Matt exclaimed. "The enemy thief would open the one nearer to them, which would be the one farther from us. That's why I have to go there first, so that I can get those chests before the enemy thief does!"

"Well, it's confusing, but I think I get it." I told him. And then I hollered over to Marcus and Lowen, who were riding together and fighting enemies. The two horsemen went towards me, and I glared at Matt expectantly.

"Oh, no." Matt backed away from me. "I'm not getting on a horse."

"Marcus!" I called on the paladin, and he knew what I meant. He rode past Matthew and grabbed him, and put the thief on his horse, behind him.

Marcus, Matt and Lowen rode deeper into the castle, but before they vanished, Matt screamed at me, "KUMI!"

"WHAT?!" I screamed back.

"JUMP!"

As he said that, I jumped, as high as I could, and an arrow passed by right under my feet. It must've been released by an enemy archer who was just about to fall… or something.

--

"Who's that?" I asked Wil, when I saw a red-haired man attacking the Laus soldiers with his sword. When I said red-haired man, I didn't mean Kent. He looked like some hard-eyed mercenary…

"Beats me," Wil told me as he was searching around his arrow case for some more arrows.

"You didn't even look up to see him!" I told Wil, but then someone called, "You!"

I turned around to find out who said that. I turned to the red-haired man, and found out that it was him. "Behind you!"

"W-What?"

I turned around to find a soldier about to attack me. I froze then and then in horror. But then an arrow—actually, two arrows—hit the enemy soldier at the chest, and he fell.

I turned to Wil. One of the arrows came from him. I looked around, and found Rebecca, sighing in relief. The other arrow must've come from her.

"…Rebecca?" I heard Wil whisper, but I didn't have the time to think about it. I turned around to thank the red-haired man, but he was gone.

--

"Uh-oh. Look what I see in the distance…" Sain said when he saw a bunch of enemy cavalier reinforcements riding towards them.

"Reinforcements. Lady Kumiko was right," Kent said.

Though Merlinus was busy in his tent fixing things, he heard the conversation outside. He peeked out of his blue tent and saw the enemy cavaliers riding towards them…

"Oh, my goodness!!" Merlinus shrieked. "Enemies! Enemies!!"

"Relax, old man!" Sain said. "We're here for a reason!"



Kent immediately ordered, "Sain, you and I will meet the enemies along with…" Kent stared at Bartre expectantly.

"Bartre." Bartre said.

"Along with Sir Bartre. Florina," he turned to the pegasus knight, "You will support us from behind. Miss Serra," he turned to the cleric, "Please stay with Merlinus unless we call on you if one is injured."

"Alright!" Serra said, and the four ran off to meet the enemy reinforcements.

--

"Knight's Crest and Silver Sword!" Matt handed a small sack to me, which he said contained the Knight's Crest. The silver sword he was holding in his hand. "Who needs it?" he asked me.

"Can you use it?" I asked him.

He looked up to the ceiling and looked deep in thought for a while. "Hmm… I don't think I can use it yet."

"Why not?" I studied the sword. It was made of silver, and it shined, reflecting back some of the light. It looked like a normal sword to me. Frankly, I don't see the difference between a Silver Sword and an Iron sword. I mean, if you can use an Iron sword, you can no doubt use any other sword too, right?

"This is a whole lot sharper and a little heavier than an Iron sword," he told me, as if her read my mind. "I can't just use it without endangering myself. Maybe Guy can, but I'm not sure."

"Then just hold on to it for the meantime," I told him.

"Yup. Well, I'm off to the other treasures." He said, and he ran off.

--

Lord Hector and Sir Oswin were in the throne room, dealing with the enemies in there. There standing by the throne was the leader of the Laus soldiers here. I think his name is Bernard. Sir Oswin and Hector were fighting, and I was there by the entryway, hiding behind Erk, and watching.

As Sir Oswin felled a knight, I saw a mage casting his magic, no doubt about to attack Sir Oswin. I gasped, and tugged on Erk's robes. Erk must've seen the danger, too, for he cast a fire spell towards the enemy mage. The enemy mage counterattacked with Fire as well. When I saw the fire rushing towards me and Erk, I actually tugged hard on Erk's robe. And since I was behind him, I knew he couldn't just evade. But I didn't want to get burned!

When the fire was right there in front of us, Erk backed away and made some magical gesture that I couldn't understand. But I saw a flicker of light in front of us—and for a second, just a second, I thought I saw some sort of bluish white barrier in front of us, disuading the fire from the enemy. But I wasn't sure. It disappeared quickly.

Erk and I peered back into the throne room to findthe mage that attacked us fall to Oswin's lance, and the enemy commander fall to Lord Hector's axe. When the commander fell, Lord Hector raised his fist in triumph, and declared, "The enemy commander has fallen!!"

--

"Grandfather! Grandfather!" Lyn was screaming around the throne room, and she was actually screaming around everywhere. I was with Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood, and we were searching for Lord Hausen, or to any clue of where he is. Hopefully he's not… well… dead.

The others were led by Sir Marcus and Sir Oswin to find if there were any remnants of Laus in the castle. Some of the others were resting and taking a break, or getting healed.

"Eliwood, Lyn," Lord Hector called on the two. Lord Hector was kneeling beside the throne. We were in the private throne room, the room the marquess uses to meet with officers and such privately. It wasn't the large throne room earlier where Lord Hector felled the enemy commander.

"Here, on the throne... It's blood." Lord Hector said.

No battle happened in this room, so the blood on the throne…

"Blood? No! It can't be!!" Lyn ran to the throne, and did see that there was a stain of blood there… and by the carpeted floor, too. Lyn looked frustrated, like she was about to panic…

"Lyndis! Calm down," Lord Eliwood said. "He might only be injured. Come, let us find him."

"Yes, you're right. I must be calm… There!" Lyn suddenly turned to a dark corner of the room that led into a hallway. "Over there! There's someone..."

I saw no one, but Lyn didn't seem to be joking.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Lord Eliwood screamed.

Then I saw a figure emerge from the place that Lyn spoke of. She was right. There was someone there. It was a woman dressed a purple top and a skirt, and with red hair that practically covered half of her face.

I saw Lord Hector's face light up in recognition of this person. "You... Leila!"

And the woman nodded. "Yes, it's me, Lord Hector. It's been a long time."

"You know her ?" Lyn and Lord Eliwood asked at the same time.

"Yes, her name's Leila." Lord Hector answered. "She... works for Ostia... All right, she's a spy."

I understood why Lord Hector was awkward about saying that the woman (Leila, wasn't it?) was a spy. I remembered Sir Alecto taught me: Spies were the living proof that there will never truly be peace in the continent. Spies are hired because of a doubt between the nations that can never be erased. Ostia, being the most powerful noble house in Lycia, has a number of spies at their disposal, or so I've been told… and I just remembered that one of them was my friend, Xarin, who was hired in their with the help of the emblem Matt more or less gave me.

"Lord Eliwood of Pherae and Lady Lyndis of Caelin, correct? I am Leila," the woman introduced herself. " Pleased to make your acquaintance. Lady Lyndis, Marquess Caelin is back there receiving treatment."

"My grandfather is safe?!"

"... His life is yet his own."

"Ah!" Lyn looked relieved, like a thorn has been pulled from her heart or something. "Father Sky and Mother Earth! I thank you for your mercy!!"

"Leila, what are you doing here?" Lord Hector asked the spy.

"I... I'm following Lord Uther's orders. I'm investigating Marquess Pherae's disappearance."

"My father?" Lord Eliwood asked. "What have you learned?"

Leila looked around, and offered, "Come with me. We should talk in private," as if there were enemy spies around. Well, it's best to be cautious.

Leila started to walk off into the hallway, and Lyn was about to follow as well when I tugged on her sleeve. She turned around to face me.

"Can I tag along?" I asked.

"Sure," she said. "As the tactician, you have a right to hear what she has to say."

So Lyn and I followed Leila. Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood trailed behind us.

--

"Let me start with my conclusion," Leila began when we were in a room that looked like a private bedchamber of some sort.

"Marquess Pherae... is alive," Leila said.

Lord Eliwood froze, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. Lord Hector shook Lord Eliwood gladly.

"Whooooo! Eliwood! That's good news!"

"That's wonderful!" Lyn exclaimed in glee.

All Lord Eliwood could say was, "Are you sure?"

Leila nodded. "I've been posing as a member of the Black Fang for several months. That's where I got this information. I believe it is true."

"Black Fang... They're the assassins guild that Erik spoke of." Lord Eliwood said.

"Yes," Leila said, "we've known of their existence for quite some time."

"Explain," Lord Hector told Leila.

Before Leila could answer, I said, as if it came from a long memorized piece of text, "The Black Fang is a guild of assassins founded about ten years ago by Brendan Reed. They're based in Bern. Their arms reached quickly in several other countries. Originally, they targeted only nobles who abused their positions. The masses saw them as chivalrous, defenders of the common man. Their activities found wide support."

Everyone in the room looked at me, surprised.

"Where did you know this?" Lord Hector asked me with furrowed brows.

"I'm from Bern, and a Bernese tactician," I told him with a shrug.

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Lord Hector asked.

"Well, you never asked."

Lord Hector rolled his eyes.

Leila said, "Well, that's correct. And then about a year ago, Brendan got married again. Black Fang's operations have slowly changed since then. Now, they'll take on any target, no matter how difficult, as long as they're paid. And they're no longer killing only criminals; anyone is a fair target."

"Is this Black Fang responsible for what's happened to my grandfather?" Lyn asked.

"Yes. We've learned of a mystery man named Nergal, behind Reed's wife. It seems the Black Fang is performing secret tasks across Lycia for Nergal. Nergal's trusted retainer Ephidel is with Marquess Laus. He manipulated Laus into hatching the rebellion plot against Ostia. The first to answer Laus's call for rebellion was... Marquess Santaruz."

Marquess Santaruz! But he was such a kind ruler, despite seeming a little weak…

"Lord Helman... Why would you..." I heard Lord Eliwood whisper to himself.

"Next was Lord Elbert, Marquess Pherae."

Lord Eliwood's face shot up to stare Leila in the eye. I think we all had that kind of reaction. "You're telling me that my father endorsed this plan?"

"I cannot say," Leila replied. "I do know that he is with Marquess Laus currently. In a place called... the Dragon's Gate."

"Dragon's Gate? Where is that?" Lyn asked.

"On an isle called Valor, off the southern coast of Lycia," Leila said. "I apologize, but that is all the information I have."

"Of all places to be, Valor..." Lord Hector looked annoyed. "Blast!" He screamed, as he kicked on a table nearby.

"What kind of place is it?" Lyn asked.

"It's said that those who step onto the island never return," I told Lyn. "The common folk call it the Dread Isle."

And then Lord Eliwood spoke up, "If that's where my father is, however, I will go and find him. And this 'Dragon's Gate,' too!"

"I'm going with you," Lord Hector said. "I'll tell you right now, you can't stop me."

"I'm also going," Lyn said.

Lord Eliwood turned to Lyn, and said, "Lyndis, I appreciate your kindness, but... Shouldn't you stay with Marquess Caelin?"

"Laus must be stopped," Lyn said with conviction. "Otherwise, they might target my grandfather again. I also wish to help Eliwood's father. Losing a parent... It's an unbearable pain. It's something I'd rather you didn't have to feel yet."

"Lyndis... Hector... Thank you. You give me strength."

"Don't mention it!" Lord Hector said, as he lightly slapped Lord Eliwood on the back.

"We're friends," Lyn said with a smile. "It's what friends do, Eliwood."

I saw a small smile form on Lord Eliwood's face. It's nice to have such friends, right?

"I'm also going to continue searching," Leila said. "Lady Lyndis, I think it would be prudent to let the world think Marquess Caelin is dead."

Lyn nodded. "I understand. I'll do that. Thank you."

"No thanks necessary," Leila said. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Leila!" Lord Hector called on the spy before she could set off.

"Yes?"

"Nergal and this... Ephidel? What are they like?" Lord Hector asked.

Leila answered, "I've yet to lay eyes on Nergal. I've spoken to Ephidel on several occassions, however. He's... eerie. He always wears a cloak that covers his face. And yet..."

When her words trailed off, Lord Hector pushed on, "What is it?"

"His eyes glow golden... You can't miss them. They seem... inhuman."

--

I was walking alone back outside the castle to check on the others, when I hear voices speaking. I was around the corner of a hallway, and I decided to stay hidden to listen in the conversation for a while.

"What have you been doing? More dangerous work?"

That voice was undeniable. I would know it even if I were asleep. It was Matt.

"We're spies, Matthew. Everything we do is dangerous."

And that just sounded like that spy, Leila…

"That's true. So how long do you think this mission's going to last?"

"My objective is the same as yours: to rescue Marquess Pherae. If things go well, I'll be in Ostia at the same time as you are."

"Is that so? You need to visit my hometown."

"Is this where you were born? Why?"

"... To meet my parents."

"Hm? Matthew..."

"Ha ha. Well, that's that! See you."

I think Matt went away, but I heard no sounds of footsteps. But that's how he is. His feet make no sound at all when he walks. And now that I recalled, Leila was the same. When we followed her to the bedchamber a while ago, I noticed that.

"As slippery as ever..." I heard Leila say to herself. "Didn't even wait for my reply."

Hmmm… So Matt and Leila are… Together?

--

The group wanted to stay in Castle Caelin for a night to get some rest, but Lord Hector instructed that we move on the port town of Badon immediately. I was also tired, but I understood what Lord Hector meant. If we delay, something might happen to Lord Eliwood's father. While I never thought much of my real father (who was probably a stinking noble whose throne rotted under him—for someone's sake, he knew he had an illegitimate daughter 

somewhere and never cared) I had my other father, that is, my mother's husband. Oh, my life is so confusing! But, well… when my parents died, I felt like dying myself and I lost all sense of direction. But then Anko and ir Alecto found me. Sir Alecto is already a father to me, and I didn't want to lose him. If I did lose him, I think I'd go mad. And I didn't want that to happen to Lord Eliwood.

I was in the castle kitchen, instructing the Caelin attendants who were preparing food rations for us to take on the journey to Badon and eventually, to Valor. I was with Dorcas and Bartre who constantly carried the rations to Merlinus. We had dried beef, dried beef, more dried beef, and some fresh fruits. I requested for some mangoes, but sadly there weren't any in stock. I asked for some pastries, and there weren't any in stock either. Ah, just my luck. I guess I'll have to do with the dried beef.

"Hey," someone called on me. I knew that it was Matt.

"I know your secret," I immediately told him without even turning to face him.

"What secret?" He went in front of me and made a puzzled face. "And here I was going to help you with the food rations…"

"Leila, she's your… girlf--"

"Shush!" Matt suddenly leaped up. Aha! He was wearing that expression of shock, and of embarassement. I must've hit a point.

"She _is_ your girlfriend!" I exclaimed, and danced around in glee.

The Caelin castle people glanced at us, and Dorcas and Bartre just glanced as well, and returned to their jobs with the rations.

"You're not supposed to dance around and scream it to the world!" Matt said, as I continued jumping around in glee. "And I don't understand why I earned this reaction from you!"

"What?" I stopped to face him. "You think I'm supposed to be, uh, jealous?"

"Not!" He talked back at me. "It's just that, you don't even know her. How can you be all this… bouncy?"

I jumped around again, and said, "Because I'm happy for you!"

Dorcas and Bartre exited the room, carrying sacks of rations with them. Matt stared at me as if I just lost my mind.

"So, so, what's it like?" I asked him.

"What's what like?"

"Oh, falling in love."

He continued to stare at me as if he didn't understand me. "You really are a kid, aren't you?" he told me.

"W-What? I'm… uh… sixteen!"

"You don't know how to count. Last year you were thirteen, so this year you must be fourteen."

"I'm not a kid anymore," I told him solidly. "I'm a tactician."

"True, you're a force to be dealt with when it comes to battle tactics, but you're still a little girl when it comes to _everything _else," he told me. "For one, you can't even tell when someone has a crush on you!"



"A crush on me??" I looked at him, puzzled. "Who has a crush on me?"

"Oh, are you just naïve or dense or are you just pretending to be?" He groaned.

"_You _ have a crush on me?"

"You're too young for me!" He exclaimed. "You're like, my little sister!"

"Hey, several years apart is not so bad," I told him, and I blinked at him innocently.

"And I didn't mean me, I meant someone else!"

I giggled at him.

"Oh, man…" he groaned. "Weird little girls…"

"If you marry Leila," I told him, "I'm gonna have, like, an older sister! That sounds nice!"

"If you want me to marry her," Matt put a finger to my forehead and lightly pushed me there, "be serious about this whole battle so that we can finish this affair with Marquess Pherae and Leila can go home safely. If you act like this on a battlefield, we'd all die!"

I just laughed at him.

**End of Chapter.**

Author's long notes:

So, I guess there goes the whole Matt-Tactician… (throws Matt-Tactician idea out of the window). Or maybe not. (Jumps out the window to take back the Matt-Tactician idea). I just couldn't help but put an emphasis on Matt-Leila for this chapter. O.O

I have just realized that it's been like, a month since I updated. Gomen. You're all probably mad at me now. I hope the chapter makes up for it, though I don't think it's any stellar. I still don't have the internet connection. (weeps) and just so everyone knows, it's the rainy season here. I heard it was summer over west--well, it's storming here. It like, rains every day. I don't like rain very much--makes me lazy.

Well, note to some people:

Me: I am now drowning in internet cookies, thanks to Xirysa! munches on internet cookies Yummy!

Kumi: Do I get one?

Me: You've got one from Jade the Tactician!

Kumi: Yay! takes cookie and munches happily

Me: But in exchange for that cookie we're supposed to air your super special sappy scene with Matthew!

Kumi: What?! turns red in embarassment

Me: XD

Darkblaziken, yeah... he's kind of a lout but I know he isn't 100 a lout, so Hector would be revealed in a different light sometime. Lololol. And there's no Matt Serra, I don't think they were made for each other. It's just... interaction. And I hope you like this chapter, where Leila appears! If you think it possibly lacks something especially the Leila-Matt part, please tell me. shivers in fear of wondering if DarkBlaziken will possibly hate it

FireEmblem MewMew! hugs I think I saw that typo, too, but I failed to change it. I might correct it when I get a connection! Hiking mountains is tiresome. o.O kneels in prayer for an internet connection And I'm glad you liked the drawing!



Terran34, awesome,you can finish it twice in a month! Wow! admires I never got to do that! ...Wait for it, the Sain comments shall return!

Derra, I'm glad this fic can make you laugh. xD Yeah, I'm hoping for the connection, too. Then I can write more!

Xirysa, you spotted Heath? Yeah, he was there! I'm glad you saw him! I never knew you were such a Heath fangirl! xD That makes two of us, but I think I am much more of a Matthew / Zephiel fangirl. Oh, it's bad that your computer won't show the MattxKumi drawing! If you want, you can leave me your email and I can try to send it to you??

Seren-chan, I will keep in mind what you said about the descriptions. True, Kumi's not liable to tell them, but I'll keep it in mind. And frankly I'm not good at them I want GuyxKumi, too, but there's just too many pairings going on with the tactician, so I had to overlook it. sadness

AutumnThief, I'm glad you found my little fic here as well. xD Thanks!

mikoto, I'll keep the suggestion in mind. I'll look for that fic and read it! :D

I have too many cookies! Yum! Alright, I'll be kind and share some with you guys! Cookies for everyone!!

_Everyone_ who's read my FE6 fic knows who Kumi ends up with in the end. Yes, this story is done with complete consideration of the FE6 fic. Despite already knowing who she ends up with, we can still pair Kumi up with people in this fic. X3

(And yes, Lucius will appear on the next chapter. I couldn't think of a scene for him in this chapter, and just conclude that he and Kumi haven't crossed paths yet.)


	22. Port of Badon

--

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN X : THE PORT OF BADON

--

_After speaking with the Ostian spy Leila, Eliwood realizes he must travel toValor, the Dread Isle. The small island, located south of Lycia, is said to be home to the Dragon's Gate. Heading for the southern coast of Caelin, they seek_

_passage in the port of Badon._

"No one in port would sail to Valor," Erk told me as we were eating snacks in an inn in Badon. The port town was busy and bustling with people, and Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and Lyn went out in search of a boat to take us to Badon. I nodded to Erk. I agreed with him. Valor wasn't called the Dread Isle for nothing.

I was seated with Erk and Lucius in the inn's dining area. Ah, Lucius was in Castle Caelin in the last battle. It's odd that I didn't see him, but he said that was because he stayed in a room. Erk was reading a volume while eating an orange, and Lucius was doing nothing in particular. I found out that Lucius was actually with that red-haired mercenary guy that I saw in Castle Caelin. It seems his name was Raven.

The others were scattered around Badon, probably buying things they need, and some were sleeping in the inn's rooms upstairs.

"Maybe there is a way," Erk suddenly said.

"What way?" I asked him.

"To get to Valor. Maybe we can board with pirates."

"P-Pirates!" I shrieked. "I understand that they might be the only people brave enough to sail to Valor, but can they be trusted?"

"They're the only way."

"Come now, Kumi," Lucius said, "There is good, even among pirates."

"But…"

I thought about Lyn. I knew that if she was faced with this, she would never agree to riding with bandits unless it was the last choice. Her parents and her tribe was killed by bandits. Bandits at land, pirates at sea… they were all the same to her.

"Now that I think of it, Kumi, do you have a Light tome to spare me?" Lucius asked. I snapped from my thoughts and looked up to him. "When I was kept by those Laus soldiers in Caelin, I had no weapons. Do you have a Light tome in stock?"

I shook my head, and I looked at Erk, as if asking him if he had a Light tome. Erk shook his head. Of course, he uses Anima tomes, what would he do with Light tomes? But I just wanted to make sure.

"I've sent Kent and Sain to buy some things in the shop in this town," I told Lucius. "I've told them to buy a tome for you."

"Ah, many thanks," Lucius said. "It's good to be able to fight by your side again, Kumiko."

"But I'm puzzled," I told Lucius. "I know you don't like the fighting too much, Lucius."He didn't like fighting, like me. "Why did you still join us?"

"Well… because of Sir Raven…"

"The red-haired mercenary guy?"

"You keep referring to him as 'red-haired-mercenary-guy'," Erk pointed out. "His name is Raven."

"But that's just how he struck me," I told Erk. "When I saw him, I said, 'Oh, a red-haired-mercenary-guy'."

I turned back to Lucius, "So… you plan to stay with red-haired… I mean, Raven?"

"Yes," Lucius answered. "He's… a dear friend, you see."

"Ah…"

I picked up the bread on the table and was about to eat it, only when I brought it to my mouth and bit it, I found out that it was as hard as a rock.

I knocked the bread against the table, and it _was_ as hard as a rock. "Is this a rock or bread?"

"Reminds you of the kind of things we eat last year on the journey to Caelin?" Erk asked.

I nodded. The Caelin journey was unfunded by anyone, and we had a limited amount of money. We often ate not-so-scrumptious things…

"Well, I think I'll get some sleep," Lucius got up from the table, and I just nodded, and he went off.

"What about you, Erk?" I turned to the mage. "It's been a long day. Maybe you should get some rest…"

"Thank you for the concern, but I'm fine. I think I'll read for a while."

I nodded, and fell silent for a while. I started knocking the hard bread against the table again. Erk was reading quietly beside me. I was bored to the death—there was absolutely nothing to do. I just wrote in my journal and I just told everyone to do what needs to be done or to get some rest. And I wasn't that tired for rest. Bored, bored, bored, bored…

"What are you reading?" I asked Erk. I couldn't help it. I knew he'd like to be left alone to read in peace, but I couldn't help it. Erk strikes me as the kind of person who shoots fire (literally, since he's a mage) towards people who bother his reading, but I can't help it.

"Do you have to—"

"No, I don't have to ask!" I immediately said. "I'm sorry to bother you! It's just that I'm a little bored…" I tapped the bread against the table again.

"There are a lot of things to do in town," Erk said, looking up from his book.

"I know," I told him. "But I still feel tremendously bored."

I knocked the hard bread against the table, and Erk stared at me quizically, his eyebrows furrowed. What?

"Is something the matter, Kumiko?"

I sighed, and said, "I think I have a problem. I've been meaning to talk to someone about it—maybe Lyn or Matt or Lucius, but I guess you'll do. Will you hear it?"

He shut close his book with a bit of reluctance, and turned to face me. "Alright. I must warn you though, I'm not good with giving advice."

I giggled.

"Oh, you don't have to tell me what to do. Just hear me out."

"Fine. I will, then."

"Well," I began, "I've never told this to anyone, but… Erk, I'm getting scared."

"It never shows," he said.

I nodded. "I try my best to hide it… and apart from that, I'm not getting along fine with Lord Hector. He scares me, too. I mean, Lord Hector's good, I know… but he just scares me. There's just something about him that ticks me off… it's not good for work. But I do like parts of him as well, but…"

"There is such a thing as individual differences and preferences, Kumiko," Erk said. "I'm not too fond of Lord Hector as well, but I'm not scared of him or something to that extent. You've seen what kind of friend he is to Lord Eliwood."

"Or maybe I'm not scared at all."

"Huh?"

"I just envy him… because he's so brave… and I'm not that."

"Kumiko…"

"Oh! Oh!" I jerked up from my seat, and said, "Sorry, Erk. Sorry for making you hear all that rubbish. They're just small things. I'll get over it in no time."

"No, it's fine," he said. "If you ever need anyone to talk to…"

I suddenly said, "You should teach me magic sometimes."

"Huh?"

"I'm as much of a target as anyone else is in the battlefield," I said. "I have to learn to defend myself, right? I can't be a burden always."

"A burden?" he said. "You are not a burden, Kumiko, you know that. I prefer to think of you as an asset."

"That's you," I stretched my arms out in the air. "I still have to prove myself to others. But knowing that someone believes in me, that's already so much. Thanks, Erk."

I smiled at him. And for a change, he didn't jump away in fear like I was going to kill him, or turn as red as a tomato as if I had just done something so embarrassing. That's just so good. I mean, at least I can stop thinking that he hates me and I've done some grave offense to him. He actually smiled back, but only sliiiightly. Very slightly.

"And besides," he said, "you are needed in the battlefield. If your safety is of concern, maybe I can—" he paused and then quickly added, "—I mean, me or anyone you chose—can defend you on the field."

"Ah," I sighed. "We're low on numbers. You know we can't just do that."

"We do it for Serra and Lady Priscilla all the time."

I laughed a little. Erk is so quick to point out things—he's really smart!

"I think," he said, "that I should get some rest now. Do you mind?"

"Oh, go ahead!" I told him. "Go get some sleep."

And he left.

Ah, Erk's a nice guy.

--

"Are you kidding me?! Where in Elimine's name are we gonna get a hundred thousand gold?!"

Guess what happened. Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector get back to the inn to see me knocking that hard bread against the table like I was obsessed , and then they come here and tell me we need 100,000 to get on a ship to Valor! No way.

"Don't lose your head just yet!" Lord Hector told me. "I'm sure we can do something. I can return to Ostia… I've got some ceremonial garb, armor, helmet, books… I'll bring it all and sell it!"

"Hector… are you sure about this?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Yes," Lord Hector answered with conviction. "My brother would be unwilling to part with that much money… Not without knowing the reason why. And we don't have the time to waste! There's not much I can take freely, but it's a start. We'll take that money to the arena and raise 100,000 gold!"

"Good idea, Hector. I'm off to Pherae!"

I was calculating the time it would take to go to Ostia and Pherae and then back to Badon and then to Valor. The trip to Valor through sea would be undoubtedly long, and then there's the journey to raising the money. Oh boy. I wonder if Marquess Pherae would still be alive after all that.

"Who did you negotiate with?" I asked Lord Hector.

He just stared at me and blinked, as if I had asked him if he lost his mind. I repeated the question.

"A Captain Fargus of the Fargus Pirates," Lord Eliwood was the one who answered.

"Right," I said, "I am going to hunt that man down and tell him to reduce the price."

"Kumiko, you can't negotiate with people like them—" Lord Hector told me.

"Oh, yes I can," I told him. "It's just unfair--100,000 gold? They're tricking us. I have to do something. Talk to the pirates to cut down the price, find an old friend here in town who'd lend us money for starters, sell my journal on tactics…"

And I walked out of the inn.

--

"I mean, how in the world are we gonna pay 100,000? That's enough gold to cover the salaries of these people!" I blabbed on to a kitty I found on the town street. I was walking, I got tired, I sat on a bench, and I pick up this kitty from the ground. I know, it's odd.

The white kitty blinked at me, and then meowed. Aww! So cute!



"Right," I told the kit, "I've got to do something. If Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood are going to sell their stuff, we should do our fair share, too."

"Lady Tactician?"

I looked up past the kitty and found Kent carrying supplies, and staring at me like I was just doing something unusual, but still with that stiff look to his face. Oh, I was doing something unusual.

"Uhm, hi, Kent!" I told him. "I was just… talking to the cat."

I put the kitty down onto my lap, and it snuggled against me. Kent said nothing.

"I thought you were with Sain?" I asked him.

Kent sighed, and said, "Sain's slipped off, and is probably now talking with a girl he met in a bar."

"Ah, typical Sain…"

I was about to get up and help him with the supplies, when someone suddenly screamed in the background…

"A FIGHT! A FIGHT! IT'S THE PIRATES! EVERYONE, STAY IN YOUR HOMES!!"

What? Oh no… something tells me this fight involves our group…

"Lady Kumiko," Kent turned to me, with a grave look on his face. He was probably thinking what I was thinking.

"Yes, Kent. Let's see what's going on!"

--

"Brilliant timing, Kumiko," Lord Hector greeted me when I arrived in front of the inn we were staying at. Kent immediately rushed inside to put away the supplies. I had noticed that the busy port town actually became deserted… the townspeople must've all stayed in their houses.

Lord Hector was talking with a… pirate. He looks to me like one. He had an axe, and he had this bandana worn on his head…

"All of my mates in this village are going to attack you," the pirate said. "If you can beat us all and get to the ship unharmed, he'll give you passage."

"For free? No gold?" I asked.

"The captain's a tad off-kilter. He'd rather have a bit o' fun with you than take your gold. Smooth sailing to you."

And then the pirate guy ran off.

"Oh, for... This is a joke, isn't it?" Lord Hector asked me.

"I don't know, Lord Hector. But it looks like we've got no other option."

"You're right," he said. "We fight!"

"…Everyone else is scattered around town, though," I told Lord Hector. "We still have to call them… the others are resting…"



"Don't bother with those who are resting," Lord Hector said. "Eliwood's busy with something or the other, and Lyndis? I don't know where she is. We don't need such a big group, anyway. We don't want to startle the town too much. I say six of us is fine. Let's find anyone who's free and get to that ship!"

"Yes, Lord Hector!"

--

Introducing the magic six!

I mean, uh… well, we managed to gather a small group to fight off the pirates. First of these was Kent, who was ready to battle to begin with. He was readying his weapons, and fixing the straps on the saddle of his horse.

Matt and Guy were playing cards in the inn, and were called out by Lord Hector.

Priscilla was actually sleeping, but she woke up. And when she got out of the inn, she was told to prepare to fight, too. I actually feel bad for her. I mean, she just woke up. I don't like getting bossed around and ordered to do things when I just woke up. I need to adjust first.

And then there was the red-haired mercenary guy, Raven. I found him on his way to the arena.

"So you're the tactician, huh?" Raven told me. He… actually has a scary face, just like Lord Hector. I mean, he's so serious. I mean… uh, forget it.

"Yes, I'm Kumiko," I told him. "I'm a tactician from Bern."

He gave me this sort of look of understanding—but I don't know what it meant.

"Bern," he said. "I thought so. I hear work involving the military is something to be proud of there. Is that why you became a tactician?"

I gave him a look—who was he to pry? But then I just sighed, and said, "I guess so…"

"I'm Raven," he said. "I'm just a mercenary. I work for these guys now, so it looks like I'll take your orders."

"Yup. Looking forward to working with you…"

I pulled away from Raven and called everyone over, and they all snapped to attention.

"We're playing tag with these pirates," I told them. "If we win, we get a ship to Valor… I suggest you not be too hard on the pirates—they'll help us in the end, after all, so we don't want to kill them. But they're seriously gonna come at us, so think of yourselves first!"

They nodded, and then I said, "That's why we avoid going at them head on. We have to warn the people who're around of the fight so they can steer clear of us, and then take this narrow path past the pub to the sea… Matt," I turned to the thief, and told him, "If you can swipe anything, go ahead. Guy, guard Priscilla…"

I think it was my imagination, but I kind of heard Raven give a grumble of some sort. Why would he? Is there something about Pris--Meh. Maybe it _was_ just my imagination.

"And everyone else, just fight. Let's warn the civilians scattered around this area first… Let's go!"

--

"_Don't try to overpower the pirates,"_ I recalled the words the lady at the inn, Anna, told me a while ago._ "Take the narrow path next to us, and follow the wall toward the sea. Pass in front of the last house, and stay close to the sea wall."_

The group was moving about town, relaying our story to innocent civilians walking around. We told them to get into their houses and lock up and all.

"Pardon me!" I felt someone tug at my robes. I turned around, seeing this man with dark robes and short dark hair with a one-eyed glasses or whatever that was called over his eyes. (I swear Sir Alecto told me what that was, he has one of those things for himself, you see, but I just forgot.)

He was staring at me with such an enthusiastic look on his face. "Yes?" I asked him.

"I was speaking with an old sailor a few moments ago," he said. "He told me that you're planning to travel to Valor. Is that so?"

"Well, it _is_ true…"

"Really? And that's why you're playing tag with these pirates?"

"They wouldn't give us passage unless we played with them," I told him.

" ... I see. In that case, would you mind if I joined you?" he suddenly said. "My name is Canas. I'm a scholar of sorts... I've been seeking passage to Valor, but none will take me."

"B-But--"

I was about to tell him that I had no authority to pull some non-fighting person into our group, but he cut me short. "My proposal probably sounds somewhat selfish, no? You should know, I can help in combat. I've some skill with a form of elder magic... Some call it dark magic, a rather biased term, if I must be blunt. But at the very least, I can take care of myself, and perhaps others."

I stared at him head to foot, and _did_ find a couple of musty looking magic tomes in his bag. Of all the kinds of magic, I never knew much about dark magic, but it's because dark magic users are rare. I know of a dark magic user with me in the Tactician Guild who's… well… a little creepy. I mean, he's young and nice looking and all, but he's quiet and has all those shaman traits.

Well, if he says he can fight and will fight for us…

"Alright," I said. "I'm Kumiko, the tactician of the group." 

"The tactician!" he shrieked in surprise, and went closer to me, staring at me as if studying me. "My, aren't you too young to be one? And you're a girl, too… I had thought you're the lover of some man of the group…"

_WHAT?!_

"P-Please, Sir Canas…" I backed away from him. "This is no time for--"

I stopped when I hear shrieks and weapons colliding from afar. Argh! The fight has started!

"Canas, follow me!"

--

"Who are these guys?" I asked aloud when I saw Lord Hector and the rest fighting with cavaliers and such—not pirates. What in the world is going on?

"Like I should know!" Lord Hector answered me, screaming, yet his concentration on the enemy before him. They were all in deep, dark robes and…Black Fang! Ugh. It's them!

"They're Fang!" I screamed, and just when I said that, one of those Black Fang enemies turned to me with his sword, and…

"Ahh!" I shrieked, frozen, and then I felt myself being lifted up, someone taking me by the waist.

It happened to be Kent. He took me and put me behind him, on his horse, in what seemed like a split second. Wow. Was he strong. Or maybe it was what Sir Alecto called 'adrenaline rush'. When you're in trouble, or someone else is, you get all this strength from out of nowhere…

And it was Canas who got rid of the Black Fang guy that attacked me. He uses dark magic, as he said… when he casts his spell from his tome, his eyes glow in an eerie way and a force blows on his cape… it gives me the creeps.

"Enemy!" Guy screamed when he saw Canas. Ugh! Canas just melds in with those Black Fang, in his dark robes and all, and him being a dark magic user.

"No, fool!" I jumped off Kent's horse and ran towards Canas before Guy can slice him in half. "Guy, this is Canas, and he's one of us from now on."

"Pleasure to meet you," Canas offered with a sheepish smile.

Guy scratched his head and giggled awkwardly. "Uhm, same here, sir."

I sighed. Guy just looks so innocent. But then Canas suddenly said, "B-Behind!"

I gasped when I saw an enemy about to attack Guy, but the myrmidon swiftly turned and slashed the enemy diagonally across his chest. Blood spurted around, and I backed away. I don't want to stain my dress.

Guy was as stained as stained can be, however. Of course, the enemy was right in front of him when he dealt the killing blow. Ugh.

--

We were moving along the town walls, after we finished the Black Fang that ruined our supposedly fun game of tag with the pirates. Darn them. I swear they've changed. Once I was even rescued by Black Fang, when I was young, so long ago… what did they call him? The White Wolf? He was quite dashing, too…

As we walked along the walls to the port, Lord Hector and Raven were dealing with the pirates, knocking them out. I wonder if it's just me, but I catch Raven throwing these killer glances at Lord Hector, and I don't know what to make of it. Maybe it's just normal when you're fighting back-to-back with someone.

Priscilla, as I observed, was looking more and more troubled than ever, and I noticed her wringing her skirt with her hands. She isn't always jolly, but I've never seen her so concerned before. I noticed Guy glancing her, maybe noticing the changes as well.

"Hey, stop dozing off, will you?" I felt a hand on my head, patting my hair and ruining it. It could only be Matt.

"Matt, you know it takes ages for me to fix my hair!" I pulled his hand away.

He chuckled. "I'll stop when you stop calling me Matt."

"I can call you worse things," I told him.



He raised an eyebrow at me in challenge.

"I can call you Matty, like Serra calls you."

He gave me a smile, a look of a point scored. "On second thought, I'll keep my hands from your hair."

--

At the port, I saw Fargus standing by his ship, his huge axe hanging on his back. We've reached him. We've reached him…

I immediately ran to him, and when I did, Lord Hector screamed, "Kumi, don't charge--!"

But then he groaned and just ran after me, and when he ran, everyone else followed.

I stood in front of Fargus, and he looked down at me. I couldn't read the expression on his face.

"Give us passage to Valor," I demanded.

He continued to stare at me, and then he smiled. And then he laughed out loud.

Lord Hector and the others were behind me now, and Lord Hector held me on the shoulders. I thought he was going to scold me for rushing in, but I saw that he was panting, and perhaps just holding onto me for support. Of course. I made him run so much after he fought so hard…

"You made it, whelps!" Fargus announced, and his pirates gathered around us, and some even applauded.

"That was... hard..." Lord Hector was tired. He was fighting, and I wasn't, so I couldn't tease him about it.

In the middle of the pirates' applause, I turned back to the group and found some of them looking proud of themselves. We've won a game of tag against pirates! How often does that happen?

In the distance, I saw Lord Eliwood and Lady Lyn running to us. "Hector!" Eliwood called.

"Oh, Eliwood," Hector simply said. "Where were you?"

"Where were _you_?" Lyn asked. "I was just around town asking about Valor, and--

And Fargus suddenly laughed loud again. "Are my old eyes lyin' to me? Is this beauty really with you? Gwaa ha ha ha!! My lucky day!"

He was talking about Lyn, and Lyn fell silent, but I saw the glare she gave Lord Hector.

I told Lord Eliwood about our game with the pirates and how we won, but I listened in when Lord Hector pulled Lyn aside.

"Listen, I know how you feel, but you have to accept it. We've no other choice!" Lord Hector told Lyn in a hushed voice.

"I know that! I haven't said a word, have I?"

"Kumiko?" Lord Eliwood snapped me from eavesdropping.

"Oh, yes. We have to prepare supplies for travel immediately…"

--

Supplies. We're going to be at sea for quite some time, and that means we need a lot of supplies. We can't just trust Fargus and his men to give us something to eat, you know! But money is still issue here. So we decided to go to the arena… Well, me and Sir Raven, at least.

"You're going to fight?" The man behind the desk asked me. He was a big and bulky man with a scar across his face. I blinked at him innocently, and then looked at him as if he just lost his mind. Me? Fight in the arena? Never in a hundred years…

"I'm going to sign him up," I gestured towards Raven, who was right behind me. Raven was looking around, as if studying the other people signing up, no doubt trying to assess them. When Raven saw that I was already dealing with the sign-up guy, he went beside me.

"Alright, what name should I register?" the sign-up guy asked.

"Raven," Raven beside me said, "Mercenary."

--

"Go, Raven!!"

The rest of the group was with me in the bleachers, watching as Raven entered the arena. There was Sain, Canas, Priscilla, Lucius, Serra, Erk, Matt, Bartre, Lowen, Rebecca, and Wil… the others were busying themselves with the supplies or rest. Wil was the one shouting out loud for Raven, even if he barely knows him. Guy was also with us, but he was signed up to fight, so he was waiting for his turn in some backstage.

I crossed my fingers in fear. I've been to the arena… once. The last time I was in the Tactician Guild, Anko dragged me to one and she signed herself up. I could swear I was gonna die there in the bleachers as I watched Anko fight enemy upon enemy with her daggers. I worried that she could get killed. But she survived it all.

The fight began, and Raven was fighting… a cavalier! With a lance! Oh, no…

I turned my eyes away from the fight, and turned to the person beside me, Wil. "How did everyone know that we were at the arena?"

"Huh?" He didn't hear me, so I repeated the question. And then he finally said, "Oh, Matthew told us. They said he spotted the two of you off to the arena. We decided it'd be fun to watch the matches."

Really, Matt.

I tried to recall my time with Anko in the arena. She won and won match upon match that time. She only quit when the enemy happened to be a wyvern knight, telling the enemy, "I'd have to be nuts to fight you while you're on that wyvern! Hey, why don't you get your sorry self offa that wyvern, and then I'll fight you." Well, the comment happened to enrage the wyvern knight, charging at Anko, which Anko evaded with a sidestep and then she kicked the knight off the wyvern mount. Anko was clearly winning, but then she flat out quit. I don't know why. But I know that what she did enraged the enemy more. It's just me, but Anko likes poking fun at Bern's wyvern knights.

And then I heard the people shriek and scream—and turned to the stage to see that Raven has already won. Wow! That was fast! How'd he do that?!

--

"Oh, Kumiko," Lord Hector greeted me when I went back to the inn, back with others who were with me at the arena. "We've noticed that we're still short on funds…"



"I've dealt with it," I told him, and put the heavy pouch of gold on the table before him. It was our winnings in the arena.

"How did you—" Lord Hector was about to ask, but then he looked behind me and saw the others—tired and sweating and dirty and stained with blood—and he knew the answer. "Ah. The arena. Maybe I'll hit the place as well."

"You should, Lord Hector, you should."

**End of Chapter.**

--

A/N: Raven owns everyone in the arena…anyway, Raven's introduction here to Kumiko are his exact lines in the game. He talked to me! (blink blink) And that's sort of unfair… Legault never said anything even if we were both ice affinities… Legault, do you hate me, too?! (But at level 20 thief, he is superior to Matthew in all stats! WHY?? 0.0)

Well, as of June 7, 2008, I officially call Raven my right-hand man. He… he owns. I experienced such a change of heart with Raven. I used to despise him, but now…Well, he's pwnage. I wonder when my Matt will be something like that.


	23. Pirate Ship

--

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN : PIRATE SHIP

--

_Fargus's ship sails along smoothly. At last, they spot a fog-enshrouded isle on the horizon. Eliwood's father is on the isle, as is the Dragon's Gate. Asthey draw closer to the isle, Eliwood no longer fears that his father might be one of the conspirators. As the moment of truth nears, Eliwood only prays that he is safe._

"What is it with Lyn?" Lord Hector suddenly asked.

I was washing plates in the messy "kitchen" of the Davros—I mean, if you can even call such a heap of mess a kitchen. See, we had to feed our group and the pirates as well, so that calls for… such a mess. I myself was dealing with this tower-like stack of dishes. Lord Hector was standing around, as if watching me do the dishes is a spectacle.

It was our second day at sea, and nothing notable has happened. I calculate two weeks to get to Valor, that is, if the wind and weather goes our way. Nothing bad was happening on board, thank goodness, if you don't think Guy throwing up every thirty minutes or so is bad. He gets so sick that Matthew even asked him if he was pregnant. Ha ha!

"What about Lady Lyn?" I asked Lord Hector.

"Why does she hate pirates so much?"

Aha. So Lord Hector had been waiting for this moment, when I'm alone, so that he could ask. He knew I was good friends with Lyn.

I said, "Seriously, Lord Hector. Anyone who thinks decently will be doubtful about pirates. Take me, for example. I've been hunted by every bandit group based on the mountains of the Bern-Sacae border, it seems. Sometimes I only live and escape with pure luck. They're all the same to me—bandits at land and pirates at sea."

"What exactly happened to you?" Lord Hector asked.

"I almost got sold off as a slave in the Western Isles," I admitted with a shrug.

"But you don't think of pirates like Lyn does," Lord Hector said.

With a sigh, I put down a plate I was washing, and turned to Lord Hector. "Lady Lyn… her parents were killed by bandits. Not just her parents, but her entire clan. They were robbed and killed. She was left alone. That's why she hates bandits so much. Bandits, pirates, they're all the same to her. If that had happened to me I would be cursing every bandit."

"I… see…" Lord Hector said thoughtfully, and then he left a little later after that.

--

I passed by Guy's and Matthew's room on my way to my own. I decided to knock, to at least check on them. Guy has been sick ever since we got on the ship. He says he hates ships and seas, 'cause he gets seasick. And it's true.

Guy opened the door for me.

"Oh, Kumi," he greeted me, and then he sniffed. He didn't look too good.

"You've already eaten something?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Just a while ago," he said, and then he suddenly covered his mouth. I backed away. I didn't want my dress to be stained.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"I… don't… know… This ship just moves around too much… ooh… I'm gonna be sick…"

Guy practically looked green. "Uhm, Guy… maybe you should lie down for a while…" I suggested, as I backed away even more.

"Yeah… Maybe… ooh--!"

And at that exact moment, in perfect timing, Matt slipped to the door from inside the room, practically diving and sliding just to get a wooden bucket in front of Guy, in which he… well, threw up.

"Third time this day," Matt told me. "I swear, he is worse than a baby with fever and a pregnant woman."

"That's horrible," I said. "Thank goodness Matt's here to take care of you, Guy. And, Matt? Since when did you have to take care of a baby with fever and a pregnant woman?"

The thief just looked at me incredulously, as if he couldn't believe what I was asking. And then he gave me that Matt look of a point scored—the look he gives me, some sort of "aha", when I outwit him. And then he just said, "I'm going to switch rooms the first thing tomorrow! And he threw up all over my cloak yesterday!"

"Matthew!" By this time Guy has turned to Matt. "I can still use a sword even if I'm this sick! So watch your words!"

"Yeah, can you?" Matt asked. Ooh, this isn't the right time to be teasing Guy! "See if you can! Just try!" Matt taunted the myrmidon some more.

"I can!" Guy said, as he stood up and… well, looked suddenly dizzy again.

"I think I'm gonna get you some water, Guy…" I said, in an attempt to escape.

--

After I got some water for Guy (in which he remarked was salty) I went back to my room. I shared the room with Lyn and Florina. The Pegasus knight was already asleep, and Lyn was sitting on her bed, looking as if she was waiting for me.

"Oh, Lyn," I said.

"Kumi," she said. "Where have you been?"

"I checked on the others," I told her. "Guy's really sick. Have you seen him? He's Sacaean, too."

"I think," Lyn said. "We're growing in numbers, so it's really hard to acquaint with the others. I'll try talking to him one time. What tribe is he from?"

I sat on my bed as well. "I think he's from the Kutolah."

"…Just like Rath," I heard Lyn say.

"Yup. Oh, and Lyn…" I remembered to tell her, "Lord Hector asked me something about you a while ago."

Lyn just raised an eyebrow. "About why you hate bandits," I continued. "I'm sorry… I sort of told him your story."

"Oh," Lyn said. "Well, that's alright by me… I wonder why he asked."

"I wonder, too…"

--

I woke up late the next morning, which has its own consequences. For one, I was stuck with Sain on the breakfast table. He was quiet. Rare for Sain, because he's usually raving about some girl's beauty one way or another. I was thinking of how the girls eluded him by now. Lyn is Sain's lord, perfect reason why she can tell him to buzz off. Florina is Lyn's best friend, even more reason for him to buzz off. Serra doesn't actually run from Sain—she can keep a conversation with him somehow. Rebecca is just blunt to him, and then runs off, and Priscilla… well, she's kind. She uses some form of eloquence to slip away from Sain. I've always wondered if Sain was affected by our manner towards him… Or maybe it's just because he just woke up. He can't be all extroverted and girl-crazy all the time… right?

"Sain?"

He looked up from his bowl of porridge. "Mm?"

"You do… get hurt, don't you?"

"What?" he asked, his eyes puzzled, but amused. "What are you talking about?"

"When we run from you, or when the girls turn you down, or when we call you a lout…"

He looked shocked, and then he smiled. For a second it seemed to me like a genuine smile… you know, that smile that looks like he's going to burst out in tears of joy or whatnot the next second. Then he said, "Thank you for minding me, Kumiko."

I smiled back warmly.

But then he said, in that darn poetic tone to his voice, as he put a hand to the headband on his forehead in an expression of woe, "But alas, Kumiko, I once said that I shall no longer pursue our love for each other! Your kindness presents such difficulty upon me!"

"What?!" I backed away, taking my bowl of porridge with me.

"Oh, your dreams! Our love cannot be because of your dreams to be a great tactician!" He dived across the table and took my hand, and I immediately gripped tighter to the porridge on my other hand, putting it well away from Sain. I don't want to spill it!

"Uhm, Sain," I told him, "I don't think love will halt my dreams to be a tactician. And will you please—"

"Then you accept!" he said, suddenly drawing me closer. I gripped the bowl tighter and prayed that someone rescue me from this. "I know you love your ambition above all," he said, "but I will protect you and make sure you see your dreams!"

"Uh… Thank you, Sain, but—"

And then I found Raven, standing there by the doorway.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said, and then he entered the room, got some food for himself, and went on his way again. Sain and I were frozen, and then I called Raven.

He turned back and looked at me in question.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked, my voice having a meaning behind it, which meant that he must save me from this state of theatrical drama with Sain.

He glanced at Sain, and then back at me. "I believe Lord Hector has been calling you, Lady Tactician," he said, voice deadpanned, but never mind that. He helped me, that was all that mattered.

"Oh, he calls me?" I pulled my hand from Sain and took my food carefully. "Sorry, Sain. I'll just see you around."

"Yes," he said, "I look forward to it, Kumiko!"

When I turned to the door, Sir Raven was already gone. That was quick. And then I left as well, before Sain even tries to follow me. I hope someone keeps him busy.

--

That afternoon, I knocked on the room some of the guys shared, and Kent opened the door for me. I found them—Marcus, Oswin, Lowen, Wil, and Sain huddled together around something. Erk was in a corner, reading as usual. I had no idea where Raven and Lucius were, or Sir Canas.

"What's going on here?" I went towards the group of knights, and found out that they were actually watching Oswin and Marcus playing chess against each other.

"Kumiko, Kumiko!" Sain immediately noticed me. "Take a seat!"

Sain and Wil made space for me on the floor, and I sat down and watched Sir Oswin and Marcus. They were serious.

"Do you ever play this, Kumiko?" Wil asked me.

I shrugged. "I know of it, but everything I learned I learned from watching my mentor play. He's quite good at this."

"I heard that this is a game of strategy," Lowen said. "You should be good at it, Lady Tactician."

I shrugged again. I only ever watched Sir Alecto play against everyone else in the guild except me. I never seemed to have enough drive to even lift a single chess piece. And I personally think it's a good waste of time.

But I watched, and Marcus lost to Oswin, but they say they were tied at both one games. Kent played against Sir Oswin next, and then Wil suddenly spoke out of line to Erk.

"Hey, Erk! Do you know how to play chess?"

The mage looked up from his book, and stared quizzically at Wil, who stared guilessly back at him. Erk just decided to answer.



"I don't play. I know of the moves and the rules, but that I only learned from watching my master. He's quite competitive at the game."

Wil giggled softly, which earned him a puzzled look from Erk, and then Wil turned to me and said, "You have the same answer!"

Oh! He was right! Our answers were very similar. What a coincidence. We have more things in common than it seems, huh?

--

At another morning while everyone was at the lunch table or passing time in their own ways (Guy has recovered, even for slightly) I found Sir Canas on the deck, staring into the sea.

"Sir Canas," I called on him, somewhat a greeting.

"Ah." He turned around to face me, his dark robes of heavy fabric whipping in the air and all that. "Miss Tactician."

I giggled girlishly. "Please, call me Kumi, or Kumiko."

He chuckled lightly out of my suggestion, but out of some amusement. "Alright," he said.

A small silence passed and I asked him, "What are you doing?"

He smiled at me as if he was waiting for me to ask. "I am thinking of the sea, Kumiko. I just wonder how such a baffling, mysterious thing such as the sea can bring relief and calm to those that watch it. It holds so many secrets that man may never know, but it can be so simply defined as a body of water."

I nodded. "Man can only know so much. We can never know everything there is to this world. But those who pursue knowledge receive her gifts… she has quite a lot of them, too."

"Kumiko!" Sir Canas suddenly exclaimed as he held my shoulders and shook me a little.

"W-What?!" I asked, surprised.

"You're a scholar, too! I never would have guessed!"

"Uhh…" I gave him a shrug. Sir Canas was smiling at me the way that Sain smiles when he sees pretty girls. I mean, Sir Canas must be so glad that he thinks I'm a scholar. "I just said what my mentor would have said! And my interest in the sea is absolutely inexistent! I can't even swim!"

"What is your mentor's name?" he asked.

"Alecto…?" I answered, only it sounded like a question.

He pulled his hands away from me and then looked deep in thought. "Alecto…" he mused. "I assume your mentor is Bernese?"

I nodded.

"Well, his name rings a bell… but I just can't remember it! I'll have to remember it… Oh…"

--

And at another day, I was preparing lunch with Rebecca, Priscilla, Serra, and Florina. It's probably not a good idea to bring us girls together in a room doing something in common because… things happen. You'll know what I mean.

"So, uhm, who do you like?" Serra asked no one in particular. I think she was talking to Rebecca. This is what I was speaking of. The unavoidable subject of… crushes and such. Ugh. I hope no one turns the spotlight on me.

"Who are you talking to?" Rebecca was chopping vegetables when she asked that to Serra.

Serra shrugged. "I don't know. Anyone. Why don't you go first, Florina?"

Florina was beside me, helping me set up the fire on the coal stoves. She jumped a mile when Serra mentioned her name. "M-M-Me??" Florina asked. I saw Serra give her a nod.

"Uhm…" Florina started wringing her skirt and tugging on her hair and biting her fingernails and… wait! She's blushing! Oh my!

"Florina!" Rebecca exclaimed. "You're turning red!"

Florina turned even more red. My jaw was practically on the floor. When I recovered, I said, "Florina… you _like_ someone?"

"W-Well… I don't really… like… him. I just have… something… that I have to say…"

"Oh my goodness." I smacked a palm to my forehead. Of all the girls, I thought Florina to be immune all this lovey-dovey thing. I was wrong.

"Well, who is this?" Priscilla asked with a small smile. She was peeling potatoes on the table, and I didn't even know that she was listening.

"I… I can't say…"

"Oh, come on, say it!" Serra, Rebecca, and I said at the same time, in more or less a shout.

"Well, uhm… who do you girls like?"

…Silence.

Priscilla turned back to peeling potatoes with a tinge of red on her cheeks. Serra turned back to unpacking some dried beef, the red on her face more noticeable. Rebecca turned red as well as she continued chopping vegetables. I turned back to the fire. I had nothing to say.

Well, considering the question… all of the guys are nice. Lord Eliwood is nothing but kind, so is Lowen. And Erk keeps helping me out a lot. Wil always rescues me on the field and he's nice, even somewhat guileless. Guy's really likeable even if he gets seasick, and Matthew is… well, Matt's just… himself.

"You hang out a lot with Matthew, Kumiko…" Rebecca broke the silence, saying just what I wanted her NOT to say.

"Do not!" I told her. "What about you? What's the deal with you and Lowen? And I hear Wil's your childhood friend!"

"Wil just always looks out for Lady Lyndis!"

"Lyn?" Florina echoed in the background.

"Just so you know," Serra said, "I think Lord Hector likes Lady Lyndis."

"He does not!" I said. "Kent likes Lyn! It's as clear as day! As clear as how Guy likes Priscilla!"

"What?" Priscilla stopped peeling potatoes to look up to us.

"What's clearer is that Erk likes you, Kumiko," Rebecca said.

"Erk?!" Serra and I said at the same time. "He's just nice!" I said.

"Yes, he is!" Serra seconded. "And moreover, Erk likes ME!"

"Uhm, girls…" Florina said weakly in the background.

I pointed a finger to Serra. "You like Sain!"

"I do not!" Serra denied.

"Well, Sain's very cheerful…" Priscilla whispered.

Rebecca, Serra, and I turned to Priscilla and all said, "YOU like Sain!"

Priscilla backed away into her chair. "N-No I do not!"

We only stopped arguing when Lord Eliwood came into the kitchen, wondering what in Elimine's name was going on.

So what happened was that lunch for our group was quite delayed by and hour or two.

--



We were nearing Valor—I count at least three days until we reach the shore. This day I was with Dorcas and Bartre at the merchants' place. There were some merchants on board Davros, and after analyzing the items after checking with Merlinus, I made a list of what to buy and sell, and the two men were there to help me carry around stuff.

"Kumiko," Bartre suddenly tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to more or less fall from my position of sitting down on this crate. I regained my composure and turned to Bartre.

"That book you gave me was good," he said with this smile. Oh, he must mean that Secret Book.

"That's wonderful news," I told him, and then faced my list again.

"But it vanished right after I read it," he said.

"What?" I turned to him again.

"It disappeared after I read the last page."

"No kidding?"

"No kidding. It disappeared right out of my hands."

Well, that was weird… How can a book…? Definitely weird…

"Kumi!" Matt came running into the room. "You've just got to see this!"

"What?" I asked him, he seemed excited.

"Come quickly!" He took me by the wrist and I immediately handed my list to Dorcas. Matt dragged me out to the top deck of the Davros, and…

Well, there was absolutely nothing except for Lord Hector and Lyn who were at the lower deck, below us.

I turned to the thief with a hand on my hip. "What is it this time, Matt?"

"Shh!" he hissed, and he pulled me down to the floor with one abrupt action. I was about to complain when I heard a voice—Lyn's.

"My entire tribe!" I heard Lyn say with some amount of anger clearly heard in her voice. We could see her and Lord Hector from our position on the top deck. "Everyone was killed!" she told Lord Hector, "They poisoned our drinking water... My people were in such pain they could hardly stand... That's when the bandits attacked! They waited until we were defenseless!"

Oh no…

Lyn said those words directly to Lord Hector, as she stared right into his eyes. I could read just exactly what she was thinking—that Lord Hector was an insensitive lout who assumed too much and… oh, gosh, did he just confront Lyn about the death of Lyn's tribe? Is this why he asked me that question a few days ago?

"Lord Hector, you insensitive—"

"Shh!" Matt nudged me before I could find more not-so-nice words to describe Lord Hector with.

"My father put me on his horse," Lyn continued, "and I escaped... Just me. My poor father... the pain must have been terrible. He lifted me up... his arms shaking... with his last breath..."

Lyn's eyes were glossy of what would be tears. Lord Hector had nothing to say—he was frozen rigid. "Now do you understand?" Lyn said. I knew she was straining her voice not to shout. "I was found unconscious by another tribe... and I awoke ten days later. When I awoke... What I felt... The bodies of my people have already been buried. I never even had the chance to say farewell. My last memory of my father... He was...broken...dying. I can still see the axes rising and falling. It... It's not..."

And so Lord Hector turned her back on Lyn and faced the sea.

"That rude, insensitive—"

Matt nudged me again.

"Hey!! What--What are you doing?" Lyn asked.



Lord Hector said something I couldn't hear that made Lyn sigh in frustration and say, "You're such a fool! If you think that's what I want, then why not just leave!"

There was silence for a while, and Lord Hector spoke again. Whatever he said stunned Lyn for a few seconds, and he began speaking again.

"I can't hear them!" I whispered to Matt.

"I can't hear anything here either," Matt said. "I never knew the young master can take on a soft tone."

I was about to giggle, but Matt sort of sensed that coming, so he put a finger to his lip, telling me to shush.

"Anyways," he said, "what are you going to do about this?"

"What?"

"Lady Lyndis is your friend, right? And you know she can't just fight with Lord Hector."

I gave the thief a puzzled look. "Why not?"

He gave me the puzzled look back. "They're both Lycian nobles. I thought you knew that?"

Argh. My mind hates thinking about those political things.

"I'll try to fix things," I said without thinking.

--

"Captain! There's a dory adrift to port! It looks like there's someone aboard. What're your orders?" I heard a scream from the lower deck. Matt and I were still on our positions, and I turned around to find Dart screaming to Captain Fargus. I met Dart when… huh… how did I meet him again? Was it when I spilled soup all over my skirt and he showed me where I could wash up? I guess that was it.

"Something's going on there," Matt got up and looked to the lower deck.

For some reason I looked at the sea around us. And then, I spotted something really far away… it was a ship, barely a dot in the distance, with a dark flag…

"…Looks like Fang to me," I whispered.

"What?" Matthew asked.

I shook my head. It could be anyone. Maybe some merchant ship, maybe one of your local friendly pirates… But my gut feel just… Hm…

"Is Guy fine already?" I asked.

"He's okay," Matt said. "I don't know if he can fight decently, but he's gotten used to the ship."

"Good," I said. Guy might need to fight if my instincts are right, though. "I'll go check out the commotion there. Can you please check out if the supplies are fine?"

Matt looked puzzled for a few seconds and just said, "Yeah, sure." And then I went down and left him there.

--

"Ninian!? Ninian! Wake up!!" I ran down and found Lyn shaking Ninian a little. The latter was unconscious on the floor, and all wet and…

Wait. Did I just say it was Ninian?

"Ninian!" I ran to the scene after I blinked my eyes and confirmed that it WAS Ninian. I pushed through Lord Hector and Captain Fargus (I'm not sure how I did that, but I just did) and knelt down on the floor next to Ninian. Lyn was lightly shaking her. I cleared all the stray light green hair from the dancer's face and then felt her wrist for her pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Ninian looked like death itself, though… she was so pale and so cold…

By this time Lord Eliwood was also kneeling beside Lyn. "What are the chances?" he asked Lyn.

"She's alive," I told Lord Eliwood, but gravely. "But she's—She needs—"

I saw Lucius and Raven pass by in the background. "Lucius!" I called the monk. He stopped to look at me and I said, "We need some towels here, and please call Serra as well—_fast_!"

Lucius rushed off, Raven following him at a more leisurely pace.

"Do you know her?" Lord Hector asked. I don't know who among us he asked specifically, though.

"She's how Lyndis and I met a year back," Lord Eliwood answered. "I rescued Ninian from a band of villains."

And then Ninian shifted a little in her position, bringing all of us to her attention.

"Ninian, can you hear me?" Lyn said.

Ninian mumbled some things, and slowly opened her eyes.

"Are you well?" Lyn asked. "Why were you on that boat? Where is Nils? Why wasn't he with you?"

"... Ah...ah..."

"Ninian?" Lyndis looked at Ninian, concerned.

"Lyndis, something's wrong with her," Lord Eliwood said.

"She needs time to recover," I told them.

Lord Hector was about to say something, but then I heard Dart scream, "Captain! Pirate ships approaching from the northwest!"

We all turned to the northwest—and it was there before us, that ship I saw with the black flag and the Fang's emblem. Ooh! I knew it was them!

"Do they dare attack Captain Fargus and the Davros?" Fargus said, "They must be mad! These seas belong to us! Whoever they are, they're in our waters!"

"What flag are they flying? I've never seen that pattern before!" Dart said when he looked closely at the approaching ships. There were two ships…

"This is a day for strange occurences, it seems," Captain Fargus turned to us. "You whelps watch you own hides. We've no time to waste on you!"

And then suddenly, some force hit the ship, making it rock against the water—_hard_. Lyn held onto Ninian tightly and Lord Eliwood held onto both of them. I ran to Lord Hector and clung to him, while he held onto a post and held onto it tight.

"We're sinking!!" I screamed in my panic. "I can't even swim!! I can't even swim!!"

"We're not!" Lord Hector practically screamed at me. "We're going to be fine!"

"Water!!" some pirate of Captain Fargus screamed. "The hull's been breached! We're taking on water!!"

"I told you so!" I told Lord Hector as I held on tighter to his arm.

"It's bad, Captain! We need all hands below decks, or we'll sink!!" someone else screamed.

"Take care of it!" Captain Fargus screamed back. "I'm going to carve these scallywags some new gizzards!"

"We need your help! The water's up to the galley! You must come below, Captain!"

The ship was rocking so hard I could feel my lunch climbing up to my throat… No, this can't happen… I can't be sick!

"Fargus! Leave the enemy to us!" Lord Eliwood told the captain.

Captain Fargus was about to say something when Lord Hector said, "Fighting is something we're good at! But a sinking ship? That's your affair! You have to do something, or we'll all drown!"

"We'll deal with things up here," Lyn said. "Please! Hurry!"

"Fine!!" the captain said with a light stomp to the floor. "The deck is yours! I'll be back as soon as we've plugged the breach in the hull!"

Captain Fargus immediately dashed out of the place, and the ship steadied a little more, so I pulled away from Lord Hector. I wonder why I ever held onto him to begin with.

"I'm here!" Serra arrived, with Lucius and Raven right behind her. "What hap—oh! Ninian!" Serra shrieked.

"Serra!" I said, "Take Ninian to a room and see if she has any injuries! Lucius, escort Serra! Sir Raven, please call everyone—we have to get ready to fight!"

--

Everyone was rushing to Merlinus, who set up his tent on the upper deck of the ship. I was busy yelling things as well—who gets that sword and who gets that vulnerary and such. It was, well, chaos.

"No, that staff goes to Priscilla—Yes, that lance is—" I was screaming orders over the chaos when someone cut in.

"Kumik—whoah!" It was Guy, who immediately clung onto some railing when the ship rocked to a side. What was he doing here? He shouldn't even be in the fighting! There he stood, with his Killing Edge hanging from his side…

"Guy, what are you—"

"Ohhh... This ship moves too much..." I heard him say as he put a hand to his head. "I... I can still fight, though! My sword arm's fine!" he looked up to me and spoke with some stubborn determination.

"But you're still—"

"The rooms below are getting water!" he said. "I can't stay there—I can't even swim! And the captain asks if we have some manpower to spare—they need a hand down there, and believe me, I don't want to help!"

I looked around and quickly called on Marcus, Oswin, Kent, Lowen and Wil. I told them to go down to help the pirates—and keep an eye on the room Serra, Ninian, and Lucius were in. Then the ship shook horribly again—I caught Guy cover his mouth—and saw the two enemy ships surround us from the left and the right… and they were putting up planks to our ship! Ooohh!

"Everyone!" I screamed as I stood up on the highest point I can find (that is, on top of some barrels and crates). And all these people turned to me—lords, cavaliers, swordsmen, a pegasus knight, a mercenary, some magic-users, some axe fighters… "There's no specific strategy! Hit them where you can, and make sure they don't get into our ship!"

--

Priscilla was running to almost everywhere—there were injuries everywhere, that's why. Maybe I should have someone get Serra so that we could use the extra healing hand. The wind was cold and the tides weren't exactly at peace with us—the ship was still rocking, especially with those planks the enemy set up…

"Kumiko!" Merlinus screamed, and I turned to his direction. He was pointing to the skies—and that's where I saw it. There were enemy pegasus knights riding towards us!

"Florina! Rebecca!" I screamed as loud as I could, and the two girls came towards me. "Enemy pegasus knights are closing in towards Merlinus! Take care of that!"

And the two immediately ran off.

And that second I took time to search for Guy in the crowd—he was fighting well, and he didn't look seasick at all. Good.

"Kumiko!" I turned around to face Bartre. He tossed me some blue amphora of some sort and I caught it immediately. "Drink it!" he said.

"Says who?" I asked. I peered inside the glass and found some liquid—and oddly, it sparkled.

"Says that thief-guy!"

Matt? Well, I decided to take a sip of the liquid. Hmm, it tasted tangy…

"Kumiko!" someone screamed again. I turned around to the upper deck and saw Canas there, with such a grave expression on his face that it could only mean…

And then I felt a warm wind in front of me—it could have been nice in the middle of the cold—but it came from a Fire spell!

I screamed, and I froze, only putting up my arms to my face in defense. I didn't want to burn my face!

And nothing happened. I felt the fire engulf me for sure, but…

I opened my eyes. And—hey! I was glowing blue! What in the world is—

Oh, this looks familiar—like that time I was beside Erk and I saw him deflect a magic spell. There was a flash of blue in front of him and around him…

The mage that cast the spell was felled by Dorcas with his Hand-axe.

"Are you alright?" I heard someone say. I turned around. It was Erk.

"I'm… fine."

"You're not burned?"

I shook my head.

And then Erk eyed the potion or something in my hands. "That's good," he said. "That's Pure Water. It heightens the magical resistance of a person."

Oh. At least I learned something new.

--

The battle was going on for an hour now, and Priscilla was getting overworked. I approached her.

"Kumiko? What is it? Are you hurt?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm fine. But you look tired. I can call Serra and tell her to substitute you for a while…"

"Please, I'm fine," she said. "And I'm not seasick at all. Thank you for your concern."

Priscilla's kind to a fault… or something.

--

This enemy swordfighter is annoying!!

I ran around and jumped around and evaded the swordstrokes out of luck, and where are the guys when you need them?! Well, they were probably carried by their momentum and charged to the enemy ship on the left to purge the boss, or I wasn't screaming loud enough.

"HELP!!" I screamed as I crouched down to evade the mad swordfighter's sword. He kept on missing, but this time the cord around my neck was sliced cleanly. I wore a necklace there with a pendant from Sir Alecto—I immediately searched the floor for the necklace… but then the ship rocked to a side, and the pendant slid out of reach—onto that plank.

I cursed, and crawled immediately to the plank. I heard some moan and groan in the background—I think someone dealt with that enemy swordfighter.

I crawled onto the plank, and looked below, into the deep, raging sea. I prayed that I wouldn't fall—Elimine knows that I can't swim to save my life.

And when I was in the middle of the plank, suspended right over the water, the pendant right within my reach—the ship rocked to a side again.

And I fell into the water.

"HELP!!" I screamed as loudly as I could. "HELP!! I swear in Elimine's name, I can't swim!!"

--

Hector took time to pause after he felled an enemy with his axe. There was a faint scream in the distance that was ever so familiar to him.

And when he recognized it, he gasped.

"The tactician is drowning!" he screamed.

"Kumiko is?!" Lyn gasped, but still focused on the enemy in front of her. "Someone has to save her! Kumi can't swim! I'll have to--"

Lyn was about to volunteer to go, but then the enemy's sword clashed against hers.

Hector and Eliwood were fighting as well. Hector was looking around and he found Guy getting healed by Priscilla. "You! Sacaean swordfighter!"

Guy turned to Hector.

"Rescue the tactician! She's drowning!"

Guy looked horrified, but then he said, "I-I can't swim!"

Hector groaned.

Guy looked around and found Sain. "Hey! Girl-crazy knight!"

Sain turned around only after finishing an enemy shaman. "Yeah?"

"Kumiko's drowning! You have to save her!"

"Alright! Where—"

And then Sain fell to the floor from his horse, clutching his side. It was only then that Guy noticed that the cavalier was bleeding there quite badly. Priscilla rushed to Sain.

Sain looked around and found Erk, searching for a tome in his bag. "Hey, mage boy!" Sain called Erk.

Erk rolled his eyes, and turned to Sain.

"Kumi's drowning! You've got to—" Sain flinched when his wound stung a little, "—do something!"

"Well, I can't swim, but--!" Erk was about to go, but then an enemy sword was swung towards him, and he jumped backwards in surprise. He looked around for a certain blond thief, but he didn't find him.

--

My throat stung, and my eyes stung against the water of the sea, and my mouth tasted salty. I was drowning. I _am_ drowning. I looked up—there was light from above, and I wanted to reach it, I really did, but there was something that seemed to be tied to my ankle that kept pulling me down, deeper into the water.

Darn! This is such a wonderful way to die!

But soon I lost my air, and I closed my eyes.

What a wonderful way to die.

--

"Kumiko? Kumiko, are you alive?! Oh, this is splendid! I thought you left us!"

I opened my eyes to Sain's voice, and I saw him before me, and he threw himself all over me in an embrace.

I coughed out water to the floor, and I remembered a very similar scene between Sain and me. (A/N: Chapter 3, Sword of Spirits)

"Sain! You didn't… use that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation technique on me, did you?!"

Sain only grinned widely at me.

"Sain, you schemi—"

I was about to get up and hit Sain on the head or something, but someone pulled me back down to the floor lightly by my shoulders. When I was lying on the floor again, I looked up. It was the beautiful—I mean, it was Lucius.



"Are you feeling fine already?"

I nodded slowly. I could feel water in my throat or up my nose or in my lungs, though.

"Sain!" Someone screamed—I made it out to be Kent. "We need a little help here!"

Sain went off immediately, and then I noticed that his hair wasn't wet. He wasn't the one who saved me. I turned to Lucius. He wasn't wet either. But beside Lucius, I saw a pair of auburn leather boots with water pooling beneath them, and more dripping to the floor. I looked up.

When I recognized the dark red hair that clung close to my savior's face, I said, "…Red-haired mercenary guy?"

Lucius laughed mildly, and whispered, "His name is Raven."

Raven looked down at me. His clothes were dripping wet. "I'm sorry, Raven," I said. "I mean—thank you, Sir Raven!"

He said nothing, but he crouched down beside me, and took my hand, and put his over it.

And he took his hand away, and I saw what he left there on my hand.

My pendant. It was made of clear glass crystal, with an insignia carved on the middle of it. It was really expensive, and Sir Alecto valued it so much. He gave it to me a year ago. I would die if I lost it.

"I found it in the water," Raven said.

"Oh… thank you…"

He was staring at me gravely when he said, "It has the insignia of the royal family of Bern."

I glanced at the markings in the middle of the pendant. I knew what it meant. But Sir Raven—how could he…?

Before he can start thinking I'm suspicious (like Lord Hector would) I said, "I'm Bernese. And this belongs to my teacher. He… He served the country."

"Lord Raym—Raven!" Lucius suddenly screamed. Huh? Lord… Raven?

But of course, what Lucius meant was an enemy. Raven quickly got up and turned around to find an enemy, and quickly drew his sword to slice the enemy clear across the torso. I closed my eyes. I felt some sort of liquid splatter to my face. I knew what it was without having to look at it.

I opened my eyes. Raven gave a sigh of relief and turned to Lucius—and then to me. He got down again and silently handed me a handkerchief. It was wet, but it was clean. I wiped away the small smear of blood on my cheek.

And then I heard light footsteps coming towards us. I looked up—it was Matt.

He rushed down to me and said, in a scolding tone, "What in the world did you get yourself into _again_?"

I giggled. "I fell off the plank and almost drowned. Sir Raven saved me."

Matt gave a quick, inexplicable glance to Raven, and then looked down at me again. I shivered—I was wet and it was so cold. Matt took off his red cloak and gave it to me.

"You have to get up, though," Matt said. "Another enemy ship arrived and put up planks to the south of our ship."

"Oh, God!" I got up. "Call Kent and Sir Oswin and Sir Marcus—"

"We all went up," Lucius said. "The pirates are almost finished with the ship, so they sent us here again."

I stood up again, with Lucius holding me by the arm to help me. "We still have to rout the enemy. Let's go!"

--

"What's this? You've routed 'em already? Nicely done, whelps!"

Fargus and his pirates went out just when Lord Hector killed off the last enemy. In fact, the others were already cleaning up and throwing all these… dead bodies… over the ship. I wanted nothing to do with it. I was still cold, and I could still feel the water up my nose. I wrapped Matt's cloak around me tighter.

"Those sea dogs were no match for us!!" Lord Hector told Captain Fargus.

I took time to walk around to see if everyone was alright, and that everyone was there. I had a slight fear that one of those bodies thrown off board might be… one of us or something. I know, I know… but, what if?

It seemed that everyone was complete. That was good.

Guy seemed to be fine as well. I thought that all he needed was to swing his sword to feel better, he actually looked alright when I saw him chatting with Matt—until he reached for the railings and threw up into the water.

And I looked around some more and found Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, Captain Fargus, and Lyn all crowding around Ninian. I decided to go listen in as well.

"...I... My head... is so foggy. Am I... at sea?" Ninian asked.

"Yes," Lyn said, "We found you adrift in a small boat."

"Those scum were after the girl, it seems," the captain said. "Will you take her with you? The men are afraid she, well, she might be cursed, you know?"

"Cursed...?" Lord Hector gave the captain a puzzled look, and then gave Ninian some sort of skeptic look…

"Are you suggesting we leave Ninian behind?" Lyn turned to Lord Hector, her voice slightly raised when she spoke.

"We can't take her with us, can we? We're heading for the Dread Isle. It's dread for a reason, you know!" Lord Hector said.

"Regardless... she goes with us!" Lyn said.

"Lyndis?" Lord Eliwood looked at Lyn, puzzled.

"When I saw her, I remembered something," Lyn said. "The last time I saw Ninian... She and her brother were being hunted by some dark-robed men."

That's right! I only just remembered… and those men… those men were Black Fang…

"Dark-robed? Are you sure?" Lord Hector asked.

"Yes, I think it must be the Black Fang. It didn't occur to me before, but now I'm certain."

"How can you be sure?" Lord Eliwood asked Lyn.

"I can't explain... There's something in the air that hints at their involvement," Lyn said.

"If it's true, then she's likely to be attacked again," said Lord Eliwood.

There was a pause in their conversation, and I said, "It is true."

The three lords turned to me, maybe just realizing I was there.

"What is true?" Lord Hector asked.

"That she was being chased by the Black Fang," I said. "The ships that attacked us had the insignia of the Fang on their flag. And a year ago, Ninian was being chased by those dark-robed men… and their leader actually had some the insignia marked on his arm…"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Lord Hector asked, his tone somewhat irate.

"Matthew knows of it, too. I thought he'd tell you," I said.

"You two really like keeping things to yourselves, don't you?" Now Lord Hector was clearly irate.

I mumbled an apology.

"If that's the case," Lord Eliwood glanced at Ninian, "we should be by Ninian's side to protect her."

--

The captain told us that we were going to reach Valor early tomorrow morning. So that evening, I was with Rebecca and Lowen in the messy kitchen. I was in my nightgown, because my normal clothes were still hanging to dry. There at 

the deck. I know it's embarrassing to have practically everyone see your clothes, but we were getting to Valor in just hours now. I wanted to have something to wear tomorrow.

I was looking through our stocks of food—there were still quite a lot.

"Lady Tactician, what are you looking for?" Lowen asked.

"Meat," I said.

"Well, that's funny," Rebecca said with a slight giggle as she stirred the soup in the pot. "You never ate meat, Kumiko. And if you did, you took very little."

"Well, that's just because dried meat stinks so badly and is awfully hard to chew," I said. "But guys like meat, don't they?"

"Well, I guess they do," Lowen said. "But Lord Hector and Sir Marcus and Sir Oswin like it more in particular."

"Wait up," Rebecca turned to me with a smile, that smile I didn't want to see. "So this is all for a guy? For… a certain special someone?"

"Rebecca!"

The archer only giggled, and Lowen, too. "That's good, Kumiko!" Lowen said. "Inspiration is never a bad thing!"

"Oh, will you two please just stop? What's bad with cooking for someone? You two cook for us all the time!"

I was met by giggles again. But then Rebecca said, "Well, could you use some help? I have just the right spices in mind to bring out the tenderness and the savory flavor of that meat. Just tell me who this is for afterwards!"

--

I was about to retreat into my room that evening—that room I shared with Lyn and Florina. I walked the halls and stretched my arms in the air, and yawned.

And then I saw Sir Raven right across the hallway. I gave him a small smile, and a nod, and then I walked on.

"Kumiko."

It was Sir Raven. I turned back to face him.

"Thank you. The food was delicious," he said, with a smile—faint, but definitely there.

I didn't know what to feel. Sure, I left some food in Sir Raven's room with a note thanking him for saving me and all that—but the merit for the food should really go to Rebecca.

But, wait! Did Sir Raven just smile?! He _knows_ how to smile?!

"You're welcome, I guess," I said with a shrug. "But—hey! I should be thanking you, sir. You were the one who saved me."

"It was nothing," he said, and the smile was gone in a snap. Wow. That was fast, as if he smiled for barely a second.

I felt my face fell. "You should smile more, Sir Raven. It looks good on you. Very handsome!"

He gave a mild chuckle, and then he just nodded and walked away to wherever he was going. Well, so he isn't as grumpy as he seems. I thought I'd be intimidated of him like I am with Lord Hector, but I'm not.

I stood there for a while and recalled the events where I almost died. And…

Oh my god, did Sain really use that mouth-to-mouth resuscitation thing on me?!

No…

That was my first kiss…

Agh!!

**End of Chapter.**


	24. The Dread Isle? Forgot the Title Again

--

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN : THE DREAD ISLE

--

And then we finally hit dry land. I wouldn't call it much of dry land—it was, well, sort of soft and damp. I couldn't even tell if my clothes dried at all—they were damp and cold. Ugh! I was hoping they'd dry the evening and not turn out like this, but they still did. Well, what can I expect? The evening air was full of this fog…

And it was still present. The place was misty, but I can see that we've landed at the edges of a thick forest. Everyone was busy getting off the ship—taking their horses and their items and such. I was carrying my old, heavy bag again, and then clutching my logbook in my other arm. I almost regret binding it in metal—it's quite heavy. But then again, it's multi-purpose. I can hopefully smack it onto some enemy's head or use it as a shield. So the extra weight wasn't a problem.

"We'll wait two weeks. Finish up by then," Captain Fargus was talking to the three lords. I was, as usual, standing around.

"That's more than enough time!" Lord Hector said.

"And I've got a half-wit sailor who wants to go sightseeing," The captain added. "C'mere, Dart!"

Dart? So he's joining us? Well, we could always use more manpower!

Dart jumped from over the ship, his axes strapped onto their belts and all that. He was all prepared! "I'm here, Captain! Ready to serve!"

"We're pleased to have you," Lord Eliwood told Dart.

"His only redeeming feature is his sturdiness," Captain Fargus said. "Maybe he'll come in handy."

Lyn and I giggled a little.

"Come on, Captain!" Dart said. "I'm better'n that!"

The lords talked a while to Captain Fargus, and I walked over to Dart. "Hey, Dart!" I called him.

He turned around. "Oh, hey there, 'lil lady. Didn't think you was with this group!"

"Thanks for helping me back then," I told him. I meant the time I spilled soup. A ton of it, and all over my clothes. Mark always calls me clumsy, but I call him clumsier. He has a bad streak of breaking things. "And I am with this group. I'm the tactician."

"Tactician?!" He was surprised. Not unexpected. "I didn't think that, girlie! Aww, I might rethink joining this group."

"You can't do that now! I'm gonna put you in the front lines to die."

"Try—it ain't gonna happen!"

Hah, he's certainly got some attitude. Not that it's bad. But, he's not a bad person, either. There is good, even among pirates. I might change my mind about them. But Fargus' pirates? They don't seem to be the ordinary pirates.

Our group was lugging their things as we moved into the forest. It was early, and a thick fog was surrounding us. The lords walked in the lead with Ninian, and I was a little behind them, with Matt. I was… telling him things. Not unusual for us. Sir Oswin and Sir Marcus and Kent weren't far behind. And then there was everyone else.

"Let's get through these woods," I overheard Lyn say as I took a breather from talking to Matt. "It's starting to get foggy... Try not to get separated!" she called out to us all.

"'Enter and be lost,'" Lord Hector said. "It feels like we're not coming back."

"Lord Hector!! Are you trying to curse us?" I said. Really, a lord should have better attitude than him!

Lord Hector just gave me a groan of some sort. I rolled my eyes, and turned back to Matthew.

"You're a few years older than Lord Hector, huh?" I asked him.

"Yeah, a year or two," he told me. "What about it?"

"Ever saw him growing up?"

Matt gave a laugh of some sort. "I was training in the castle when I was about your age. I never saw Lord Hector a lot, but he has a solid reputation for sneaking out of the castle and returning a few weeks later looking worse for wear and without any gold at all. And his lord father tells him time and again to refrain from the arenas, but no, that doesn't stop him. He was always stubborn and ill-mannered for a noble."

"You should seriously give him a lesson or two," I told him.

Matt shrugged. "Hey, he may be like that and all, but he's all good inside. Like you."

"What?!"

He laughed. "You're not the traditional tactician, either. You're sorta like him—maybe that's why you're so miffed."

I lightly hit Matt on the head and pouted. I had to jump up to do that, though. But… me? Compared to Lord Hector? Never in a hundred years. What was his basis to compare us?

But… Matt is kind of right. Lord Hector was not the common lord, and I know by the gods' names that I wasn't a very traditional tactician either. But… I'm young, right? I've got a lot of space for improvement, and someday I'll truly be a tactician.

"And you're both kinda foul-mouthed," Matthew said, with a snicker.

"_WHAT?!" _I reacted. Me? Rude? Never.

Matthew laughed. "Oh, you like swearing a lot. '_I swear in Elimine's name'_… or something like that, huh? So you're not very religious, either."

"Matt!" I reacted. "I swear I'm not—," I covered my mouth. Oh, I just said it, didn't I. Matt laughed again. Ugh.

"Most followers of Elimine are from Etruria, and Lycia," I told him. "Not Bern."

"Yeah, I know that."

I was thinking. I mean, really, there are Elimine churches and monasteries in Bern, but I don't see a lot of followers. Or maybe it's just because I grew up in the Tactician Guild. We didn't care much for stories of gods and goddesses and such. They're all myth to us—maybe we'll believe when we see for ourselves. Oddly, among us, Anko is the one who pays frequent visits to the Shrine of the Thieves in by the Bern-Sacae border. And as far as I know, there is no god for tacticians. If we were to have a patron god, it'd be the god of war.

And then suddenly there was a commotion in front of us. Huh? The lords had stopped walking and were huddled over something, by that tree… I rushed over.

"What's wrong?" I asked—and then I froze.

It was… Leila. But… she was lying there on the grass, still, motionless—dead. The cut across her torso was deep, almost tearing her from her limbs. Her blood stained the grass a reproachful red… oh. Oh no... This is horrible! Matt shouldn't see this… he'd be frustrated and depressed!

"...This can't be," I heard Lord Hector speak, but my mind was blank. "She was one of our best spies, Leila.."

"_Be serious about this whole battle so that we can finish this affair with Marquess Pherae and Leila can go home safely. If you act like this on a battlefield, we'd all die!"_

…Someone has already died. This is… Matt shouldn't—

I turned around, and hit a wall of flesh. I looked up. It was Matt!

I couldn't paint the reaction on his face—it was a look of some blank surprise. He was silent, he was still.

"...I'm sorry, Matthew," Lord Hector solemnly said. He must know about Matt and Leila, then.

I held onto Matt's wrist, and looked up to him. He ignored me; he was still. And then he smiled, almost forcefully. I knew Matt would just try to smile.

"...Why do you apologize, my lord? Leila blundered. ...That's all."

"Matthew..." Lord Eliwood spoke. He was as horrified as we all were. I looked around. A few others had gathered around the scene. Oswin was there, eyes fixed at Matt. Serra was there—for once she was quiet. They were all from Ostia, so I bet they knew about Matt and Leila. "Leila was.. She was…"

Leila was dead.

What if I had done battles faster? What if we hadn't stalled so much? Then maybe we would have gotten here faster, maybe…

"After this mission," Matt spoke after a small, forced chuckle as if he was laughing at his situation. I held onto his arm, looking up at him. He was trying to speak casually, but I could feel him shaking. He was shaking. He did his best to control it. "I was going to ask her to put this life behind her... Waited too long, didn't I? Ha..."

The entire group was already circled around us, trying to listen in or figure out what happened. Matthew was still. He didn't move; he looked only at Leila's body all the time.

And then he motioned towards Leila. "...My lord, might I... rejoin you later?" he asked Lord Hector, but he did not turn to him. His eyes were fixed on Leila. "She has to be buried..."

"...Of course."

The thief took Leila's body and walked away, into the forest. We were all silent.

"Ah, Matthew... I'll go with you..." Lyn tried to follow, but then Lord Eliwood stopped her by grabbing her by the wrist.

"...Let them be alone. There's nothing else we can do..."

Lord Hector suddenly kicked into a tree, and it shook hard. "Blast!" he screamed. "They put her out here for us to find like this!"

Lyn agreed. "That's right! They're unforgivable! This is... a foul deed. Beyond foul."

I didn't know what to do.

So I broke down, and cried.

I slunk down to the grass in tears. Everyone was surprised. "Matt was—"I cried, choking on my tears, "Leila was Matt's… and now he'll never be able to…!"

"S-Stop it!" Lyn said. "Kumi… don't cry! I… I might end up crying, too!"

I didn't stop. Lyn came to me and hugged me tight, and Serra did, too. She was nearby. Lord Eliwood patted me on the back.

"We'll stop here for a while," Lord Eliwood told Marcus. "Tell everyone."

"Lyn!" I cried into Lyn's long hair. "I can't… Matt told me… that I should work hard so no one would die! And now Matthew's… Leila's…!"

"Kumi… it's alright, it's not your fault…" Lyn whispered to me.

"It might not entirely be, but if we got here faster--!"

"Kumi."

It was Lord Hector's voice. I felt Serra move aside, but Lyn held onto me tighter. As if she expected Lord Hector to say something incredibly insensitive, like he is.

"Kumiko," I heard Lord Hector speak. He had crouched down to the grass, too. I was crying so much that I couldn't respond. "I understand," he said.

I didn't.

"If our battles had gone faster, if we didn't take all those rests, maybe we would have reached Leila in time," he said. He was right. I cried harder.

"But," he said, "Matthew won't blame you for it. Or anyone of us. Leila's dead—we can't do anything about that. But we have to move on. Matthew will catch up."

"I-I can't do this anymore!" I told him.

"If we stall any longer," Lord Hector said, "more might die. Eliwood's father might die! The enemy is somewhere in this forest. We have to defeat them before they harm any more of us!"

"Hector," Lyn said, "she needs a little more time to recover. And we can wait for Matthew while—"

"Kumiko!" Lord Hector called me. I didn't dare look to him. "We have to move! Matthew's going to be fine. You're a tactician, right?"

I recalled what Sir Alecto told all of us. I had asked him what we should do if… someone dies. His answer was not comforting at all—he had told us to get used to it.

"_Get used to it. Death is inevitable. Your troops may not suffer, but in battle someone always dies. War leaves children parentless, wives without husbands, parents less a son or daughter. War always causes death—your tactics in campaigns would always cause death. You may mourn, but move on. _

"_A death shouldn't stop a tactician—You took tactics to protect those dear to you, right? If you stop, you may end up guilt free, but what if your friends are placed under another tactician, or by themselves, and they end up with casualties? Death is inevitable, we train in tactics to lessen death, but not stop it. No one can stop it. So Kumiko, move on."_

"Kumiko!" Lord Hector called me again. "We have to move!"

I wiped my tears, and Lyn let go of me. I looked up to Lord Hector. His hand was outstretched towards me, waiting for me to get up.

"A-Alright, my lord," I said, and I took his hand, and he pulled me up to my feet. I was still sniffing and I wiped my tears with the neckline of my dress. Lord Eliwood offered me a handkerchief, but I declined. I have to stop crying. I have to stop crying.

Eventually the group marched on; I stayed on my place and took time to calm myself. But I… I… I can't face Matt now, not ever.

"Hey," I felt someone tap my shoulder. It was Serra. She was holding out a handkerchief to me. "It's a little faded, but it's not dirty," she said. I took the handkerchief and dried my eyes.

"Thanks."

"You… really like Matthew a lot, don't you?"

"S-Serra!" I must've screamed. I was shocked by the question.

"No need to answer!" she said, almost smiling. "You're sad for him, aren't you? He's possibly the most annoying person I've ever met… but I feel bad for him, too."

That did it. I started crying again, and I seized Serra and hugged her.

"H-He wanted to… marry her!" I cried into Serra's clothes. "It's so sad…"

"I know, and I know that… seeing you cry would make Matthew even sadder… I think." she said. And then I let go of her. "So simmer down—you're a lot prettier when you're not crying! Your eyes are going to turn red!"

I calmed down, and followed the rest of the group.

--

The forest was thick, almost endless. I wondered how Matt would find his way to us in this forest. All the while treading through it, I clung to Sir Oswin like a puppy. I wasn't quite well yet—I wanted to go home, in my little room, between my books. I wanted to play with Anko, I wanted to be in Sir Alecto's lap as he read a book to me. I wanted to snuggle with Mark on the couch as we talked. I wanted my family—I wanted to go home. I still felt so weak.

Matt was… one of the last people I wanted to see get hurt. I… I couldn't protect him at all. I feel so bad…

"Kumiko, my lady," Sir Oswin told me, "…Matthew won't see any reason to hold a grudge against you for this incident."

"I know," I said. "But… it won't be the same. Matt won't be the same."

Sir Oswin said nothing.

All was well until there was a commotion, once again. A shriek penetrated the thick fog and the cold—it was Lyn! I pulled away from Sir Oswin and ran to the front—I'm not about going to let anyone die anymore!

I ran ahead of most of the group, until I was with Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, and Ninian. There was a man holding Lyn, a sword edged to her throat. No! And… those patterns on his clothes…

"You, you're Sacaean!" I screamed, my voice still a little course. Lord Hector immediately took my side—I was standing a distance from them. He's a quick thinker—he thought that I was pretty defenseless and by screaming I was asking for death.

But the man only peered at me and said, "That's correct... I am Uhai of the Black Fang."

"I thought Sacaeans fought with honor and fought for each other! How could you raise your sword to a woman, and to a co-Sacaean?!"

Uhai blinked at me—I saw that—and turned to Lyn, and saw that she was indeed Sacaean. I saw him took a breath, and then turn to Lord Eliwood and Ninian. "I've been sent to kill the lot of you, but hand me that girl and I will spare all of you."

Lord Eliwood gripped Ninian, who hid behind him. "I refuse!" Lyn said, even with a sword threatening her. "Eliwood, do NOT give Ninian to him!"

"You know nothing," Uhai told Lyn. "Nothing of Nergal's might. Nothing of his terrible power. You are ignorant, and so you hope to oppose him. You are insects railing against the heavens. Your actions will change nothing. Speak no more foolishness and be gone!"

"... Maybe we don't know what it is we're fighting," Lord Eliwood said, "But if we flee, our loss is assured. So we will continue to struggle, and we may yet prevail!"

_But if we flee, our loss is assured._

T-That's right! I… I can't run! I'm bound to Lord Hector by contract, and I'll see Lord Eliwood's father brought back to him. I—I can't just go home yet!

Uhai looked at each of us—Lyn, Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, Ninian, and me. And with a heavy sigh, he released Lyn. "...Folly," he said.

Lyn turned to face him, surprised. "W-Why are you letting me go?"

"Holding a woman hostage during battle is shameful," Uhai said. "You, too, are of Sacae, and I've a mind to show you mercy. I will let you die with a sword in your hands. But rest assured... I will kill you all here. But be of good cheer! In dying, you shall all be spared the calamity that is to come!"

And he vanished into the woods, into the fog. Way to go.

--

This is more than bad… the fog had gathered and was thick that we can barely see! I mean, you can't hit an enemy you can't see, right? Right now skills with sensing stuff you can't see are handy—the skills of a thief. But Matt's… we have to do this without him.

I studied the little terrain I could see. We were on a clearing by the shore, but the forests ahead of us were thick. Speedy units would have an advantage on the rough terrain. Horses would have a hard time, though. We couldn't tell how many enemies there were—so we have to be extra careful! I don't want someone dying again...

"We could mobilize into flanks, or we could stay together for a while…" I told the lords and their advisors. (That is, Marcus and Oswin. If I were to speak I think Kent should be here for Lyn, but he isn't.) "I think it's cautious to do the latter, but…"

"But what?" Lord Hector asked.

"You grow weary of being on defense, correct?" I told him.

"Right," he said. "I'd rather we be on the offense, but we really can't even tell where the enemy is."

"And this terrain is foreign to us," Marcus added. Right. It's not like we're fighting in our own backyard.

"Then why don't you send specialized units ahead to survey the place ahead of others, and lead the way?"

That was not a suggestion from anyone of us—we turned around--lords, Oswin and Marcus and I—it was Matt.

"Matthew!" we chorused. He seemed well—he was his usual self. He looks like he hasn't shed a tear yet… but I could tell that his smile was a little too forced—he was forcing himself to look and act normal. It's… it's depressing to have to look at him like this.

"Matthew!" Lord Hector said, "Are you sure? You don't have to—"

"What are you talking about?" the thief said with some sort of laugh. "Look at this eerie place, this thick fog... This is exactly why I'm with you. My… profession," he cleared his throat—he meant his 'profession', that is, thievery and spying, "would serve well in situations like this."

"B-But, Matt!" I said, looking at him desperately. "You don't really have to. You can rest and we'll—"

"If Leila..." he spoke, "…If Leila knew I was shirking my duties, she would never have forgiven me. I'm fine. I will work twice as hard for Ostia in her honor."

I would've protested, and I saw that Lyn would have, too, but Lord Hector spoke before we could. "I understand..." he said, "I'm counting on you!"

"As well you should, my lord!" Matt said, with a small laugh and a mocked half-bow at Lord Hector.

Matt…

"Now as I was saying," Matt straightened and faced us, "You can send me and a few other units to survey the place beforehand, and then give the signal to the rest to follow."

"But that's dangerous!" I told him.

He just gave me a sheepish smile. "Kumi, sometimes I'm like Lord Hector—I grow sick of defense. You… you understand what I'm talking about, don't you? You're a tactician."

"He's right," Lord Eliwood said. "If we stay here…we have no advantage whatsoever being on defense, and the pressure would be on us."

…It had to be done, huh?

"Very well," I said, "Matt can survey ahead for the main group and give them directions. But you have to take someone with you!"

"Fine by me," Matt said. "So long as it's not someone who slows me down."

He must mean Serra. "Guy can come with you," I told him. "We should also attack from other directions… maybe we can have two other flanks aside from the main attack force…"

"Let me take one," Lyn volunteered. We looked to her, but I saw that she was determined to have it her way. "I'm good with these woods," she said. "So I can lead a flank."

"I'll go with her," Lord Eliwood volunteered.

"As for the last flank…" I thought out loud. Hmm… frankly, Lord Oswin and Marcus can't lead one, even if they're dependable, because the lead must be someone stealthy and speedy enough and dependable as well. And seeing that we have only two healers… one of the units has to be incredibly dependable (or have an awesome amount of vulneraries).

Well, it's a general rule that sword-users are speedier than others, and can decently fend for themselves. So…

--

"Wil, you're going with Sir Raven's group!" I screamed orders around the field. Everyone was running around, taking torches, readying their weapons, finding where they were supposed to be, taking their horses. I was screaming loud. I… deep inside I was a nervous wreck, as if it were my first time leading a group. This is worse than the first time—battles are harder and enemies are stronger. Anyone could die. I had never felt that before—I have, but not too strongly. Anyone could die. I was nervous. But I can't let it show.

"Kent! Take a torch! Serra, you're going with--"

"A little less volume, please," I turned around. It was Matt, with Guy right behind him. "You'll give our location away. The thing about fog is you may not see your enemies, but they don't see you either."

"I know that," I told him.

"Well, we're off," he said. They were off to scout the main path for the main attack group. I nodded, and the thief and went off. Guy was about to follow, but I called him. He turned to face me.

"Guy," I told him, "watch Matt's back for me, will you?"

He gave a quick nod. "Will do," he said, and he ran off.

--

We were going to attack on three fronts and still maintain a defense around our camp (which is always where Merlinus is). The main attack force will be led by Lord Hector, with Matt serving as their eyes. There are two other flanks—one led by Lyn with Lord Eliwood, and one led by Sir Raven. They have a few others following them, and Serra was with Lyn's group. Well, Lyn and Lord Eliwood were there, so we can't afford to lose them. I just gave Sir Raven's group a healthy supply of vulneraries. Priscilla was to partly stay around camp. Just as I was. I would go with the main attack group, but Lord Hector told me that I might get hit by an arrow. I understood what he meant, so I stayed here. I'll catch up when they've cleared a path.

There was nothing to do for a while. It miffed me—I could hear the sounds of battle through the fog, but I knew all I was going to get was a thick scolding from Lord Hector if ever I ran in and got lost, or worse, died. But if someone from the other flanks died, I was going to blame myself. Forever. Blame myself that I wasn't there to die before them.

I remembered what Sir Alecto taught me—you do have to trust your soldiers. You do have to know their personal capabilities, their skills, their problems, their issues. You do have to know what you can trust them in and what you can't trust them with. And now that I think of it, all the things I learned from Sir Alecto applied to small groups where you knew everyone, not where the soldiers were pawns in a large-scale war.

I had once enrolled in Bern's Military Academy, where teachings were for the so-called large-scale wars. I was not a noble of Bern, but I got in with Sir Alecto's help. I flat out flunked the Academy. Lord Hector would go mad if I probably told him that I did. They were resting their lives in the hands of a reject. But I flunked because I did not like the idea of thinking of soldiers as dispensable. Apart from that, the Academy had issues letting a non-noble, and a girl, graduate. So all the effort I did in last year with Lyn was for nothing. (Remember all my talk about getting licensed for the school? I never got my license.) But thankfully Sir Alecto never lost hope in me, or any of us with him.

Time passed—soon the sounds of battle were becoming more distant. Canas was reading a book somewhere near Merlinus. Canas was probably like or worse than Erk—he carried a stack of books everywhere. Mages are like that, I think. Dart was by the shore, holding out a torch, dutifully on the lookout for enemy reinforcements. He was getting bored, I can tell, but he was trying to prove himself as he was new. Rebecca was not far from him—she too, was on lookout. (But I think she glances more at Dart than at the sea, though.) Florina was beside me, doing nothing in particular. Lyn didn't want her to mount her Pegasus and fly around in this thick fog—there's no telling where those archers are. Priscilla had dismounted her horse and started brushing it, and Oswin was beside Canas. They were talking, I think. Oswin spoke up that he would have a hard time trekking through thick forests in battle—I know. That heavy armor would considerably slow one down, and was noisy as well.

My thoughts drifted again. I remembered the forced smile on Matt's face, as if he were trying to be strong. How… how can I ever face Matt again?

I had almost teared up again, but Dart screamed, "There's someone approaching! A Pegasus knight!"

We all sprung to life. Rebecca held onto her bow and started aiming at something high up, but Dart spoke. "But wait!" he said, "That's odd. It don't seem to be with those Black Fang! It's alone, too!"

I had time to wonder why Dart referred to a Pegasus knight as 'it' instead of 'she', and then rushed to their side. Dart held his torch high up over his head, and I squinted just to see the small image of a lone Pegasus knight in the foggy air.

"She's not Fang, alright…" I whispered.

Florina had ran to my side. Then all of a sudden, she exclaimed, "Fiora!"

We turned to her in question.

"S-She's my sister!" Florina explained, her voice shaking. "I… Kumi, I'm sure it's her! Will you let me meet her?"

I nodded. Florina got on her Pegasus and flew away.

Soon she returned with another Pegasus knight. She was tall, with fair skin and blue-green hair. I assumed she was "Fiora".

"I am Fiora, of the Ilian Pegasus Knights," she said. "If you're fighting the Black Fang, I'd be glad to lend you my help."

"That's wonderful, Fiora," I said. "I'm Kumiko, the tactician."

And for once I saw someone who wasn't shocked to know that I was the tactician.

"Do you know someone named 'Nerisa'?" I asked her, out of the blue.

Florina and her sister turned to me at the same time, as if surprised by the name. "Yes," Florina answered, somewhat puzzled. "She works in Ilia, managing the contracts of the Pegasus knights…"

"And she's a good tactician, too," Fiora added.

"Yes, she's my friend," I told them. Nerisa had been one of the older members of the Tactician Guild—she was twenty, and had been in Ilia for quite a while now.

The sisters chorused an "ahh" and I told Fiora to check up on Merlinus for equipment, and for Florina to orient her on things. When they were off, I trailed towards Rebecca.

"You're watching Dart more than enemy reinforcements," I told her, in a whisper, because the pirate was nearby.

Rebecca didn't take it the bad way—she just turned to me and asked, "Kumiko… isn't there just something in common between me and Dart? I just can't put a finger at it…"

I glanced at her, and then at the pirate. "You both wear bandanas on your heads?"

The archer giggled as she tugged on her bandana. "Aside from that."

"BLACK FANG!" Dart shouted, and we were all on our toes. Canas and Oswin ran to us, as well as Florina and Fiora. Priscilla was right behind. I squinted up to the air—a group of Black Fang Pegasus knight reinforcements.

"Fiora, Florina! Take to the skies to engage the enemies! But wait 'til they're near enough for the others to support you!" I shouted my orders, though everyone was near enough that shouting was unnecessary. It was time to fight again.

--

"You gave us away! This is your fault!" Kent scolded Sain, as the red-haired cavalier sped carefully through an enemy mercenary and drove his lance through the enemy. The enemy fell, and Sain gave a sheepish laugh.

"H-How was I to know that I was riding towards a tree!" Sain said, a protest. "It was so foggy! I couldn't see it!"

Serra was riding with Sain, and she bonked him lightly on the head. "I almost got thrown off your horse for that! You should consider that you're riding with me, and what would you do if I was injured?"

"Apologies, my sweet Serra!" Sain said—and then he abruptly pulled on the reins of his horse to avoid an arrow. The horse whinnied and kicked in the air—and Serra fell off the horse.

"Those darned archers! And this fog! My eyes can't see a thing!" Sain complained.

"That's it!" The cleric got up and dusted her robes. "I'm walking!"

"Lady Serra," Kent said, "that wouldn't be wise. You may get lost."

"We're lost already!" Sain said.

"And who do we have to blame for it?" Kent shot back. "We were following Lady Lyndis well until you ran into that tree, screamed, and so we were ambushed."

Sain gave the companion a smile—a teasing one. "So this is all about Lady Lyndis, huh? Don't want to leave her alone with Lord Eliwood?"

"That has nothing to do with it," Kent said. "And that has no truth whatsoever."

Sain smiled wider, and was about to speak, when Serra cut in—"Hello?! We're lost, and I'm dirty and I fell off a horse! And you two are arguing! Why don't we just move on and find Lord Eliwood and Lady Lyn? If they were injured, my, I wouldn't be there to help them!"

The cavaliers sighed—Serra was right.

--

"That does it," Lyn said with a sigh of relief as she felled an enemy mercenary. "Sain, Kent, Serra, follow closely."

There was no reply.

Lyn looked back to see Eliwood pulling his rapier off the body of an enemy, and Dorcas wiping the sweat on his forehead. Lyn blinked and then asked, "Where are Sain, Kent, and Serra?"

The two looked behind them, and were surprised. "They were just following a while ago," Eliwood said.

"I think I heard the one with the headband scream," Dorcas added.

Lyn groaned. "Typical Sain—I think he got into some sort of trouble that Kent helped him with. Let's move on."

"Isn't that reckless?" Eliwood asked.

Lyn shook her head. "Sain and Serra alone would be reckless, but Kent is with them. He'll keep them in order. I trust him. Let's move."

--

"Young master, to your right!"

Hector didn't need to turn around—by instinct, he jumped and evaded a sword stroke that came from his right. He didn't fully evade it as the tip of the sword scratched his armor, but that was no problem. It was just armor. Hector dealt with the enemy archer first, then later turned to his right to find the enemy myrmidon dead by Lowen's lance.

"Thanks, Matthew," Lord Hector said, in no particular direction. He couldn't see wherever the thief was—the fog was so thick—but he was sure it was him who called him a while ago. He was the only one to ever call him "young master".

He looked behind him and counted—Lowen, Erk, Marcus, and Bartre. No one was missing. He was the lord of this campaign along with Eliwood and Lyn, and he was not about to let anyone working with them die. Even if they were not Ostians. He was more determined to do this when Leila died—Black Fang was not about to hurt anyone anymore, he thought. He would have to die first before the Fang touched any one of them.

--

"I think that's him," Matthew whispered to Guy as they were hidden beneath foliage, Black Fang's Uhai in plain view.

"He's Sacaean," Guy said.

"He's not the one."

Guy turned to Matthew, puzzled. "What?"

"He's not the one who killed Leila. He seems too proud to do that."

"H-How can you be so sure?" Guy asked.

"…Do Sacaean warriors hurt women?" Matthew asked back.

"N-No…" Guy answered.

"So he didn't do it. But he's still Fang, and now they're all the same to me."

"Matt—"

Guy was about to come up with words of consolation—but an arrow flew right above their heads.

Uhai had spotted them. "Who's there?"

"This doesn't look good," Matthew said. "We have to run."

Guy glanced back at Uhai, who was now drawing dangerously nearer to them. "Do you think we can run from him? Look at him—he's strong!"

Matthew gave an almost casual shrug. "I can run from him."

"Then run!" Guy said. "I'm staying here! Tell Lord Hector!"

Matthew was about to speak, but Uhai came nearer, and so Matthew disappeared, as quick as that.

And Guy came face to face with Uhai.

"Oh.. So, you're from Sacae, too, are you?" Uhai said, as he put aside his bow and took his sword, seeing that Guy was a myrmidon.

Strangely, Guy felt that he was not afraid. "I am Guy of the Kutolah!"

"Kutolah..." Uhai mused. "The Ash Wolf, Dayan's tribe! They're said to be the strongest on the plains. But you're still a child. Do you fight like one?"

"No!" Guy shouted in reply.

"Then show me. Come!"

--

"Lord Hector!" I ran into Lord Hector's group, Dart running before me with the torch in his hand. Canas, Priscilla, and Rebecca were with me—I had brought them as reinforcements. We've fought through a big wave of reinforcements by the main camp, and I decided it was safe to follow. I left Florina, Fiora, and Sir Oswin behind for safety measures.

"Kumiko, it's about—"

"Young master, to your--!"

I shrieked when I heard metal collide with metal when a sword swung towards Lord Hector from the fog—and then looked closely, and found that it was Raven's sword that met the enemy's! (I thought it was Lord Hector and all his armor!) Raven kicked the enemy off, and then slashed at him, while Wil sent an unnecessary arrow through the enemy. I found Lucius in the background, catching his breath.

Sir Raven gave Lord Hector a killer look, and Lord Hector responded to it by raising a brow. There was something odd going on between them. Lord Hector grudgingly muttered a thanks.

"Sir Raven…" I began.

He knew what I was going to ask. "It seems all paths lead to one direction," he said. "We should join our forces now against the real enemy."

I nodded, and Raven and Wil and Lucius retreated to the group behind Lord Hector. It was then that I noticed Matt… He was panting. He… he never does that. He must've ran an awful lot. He must be tired.

Matt…

Matt looked up to us and urgently said, "Guy's fighting with their leader!"

That was all he needed to say. We immediately set off.

--

We arrived at the scene and from afar, I could witness Guy fighting Uhai—one on one. Uhai's lackeys didn't even get involved. He was not one to play dirty. But then as we drew closer I had a better look—Lyn's group was already dealing with Uhai's men, leaving the leader to Guy.

Guy fell back a great distance in an effort to evade a sword stroke from Uhai—he landed right at my feet. I helped him get up, and shook him badly. "Are you mad?!" I screamed. "Why did you rush in alone?!"

Guy gave me a sheepish smile and reasoned, "…I haven't fought anyone better."

I was not about to let him go, but he pulled himself from my grip and charged at Uhai again. And without a need for orders, the group behind me mobilized and helped along.

I stood there. I remembered Leila's dead body and Matt's forced smile. I remembered the times blood splattered onto me and the time I was wounded. I remember the contempt I can now see in Lord Hector's eyes—contempt for the Fang, like Lyn's contempt for her granduncle a year ago. I remembered the tiny revelations I gave to Erk in Badon—I was scared. It never faded. I remember Guy's smile, I remember what he said. _I haven't fought anyone better_. As if there was such a need to fight in man.

I did not understand war and battle at all.

--

Soon the battle was finished, and we were all safe. Thank goodness. It did take a few minutes for Sain and Kent and Serra to appear—they were separated from Lyn and lost, it seemed. But they were safe. That was all that mattered now.

We were all back at camp. I couldn't find Guy—I had to teach him a lesson or two. Something that says "don't rush in alone". I looked around camp and found Florina introducing her sister around. Of course Florina was wise to skip Sain, but Sain found Fiora anyway.

When we had refit our items again, I found Lord Hector and said, "We should get going."

"You're right," he said.

"Then let's move," I said.

"I don't think so just yet."

I raised an eyebrow. "Lord Hector, what do you mean?"

"Let's wait for this fog to thin itself a little first. You look like you need a little rest, too."

"Darn you, Lord Hector!" I practically screamed, and was glad that no one was near enough to hear it. "I can handle this! Leila had already died, and who knows who could be next! Why don't you start seeing me as an asset rather than a liability?! I can take care of myself—and you all!"

He was taken aback, but he wasn't mad. "I know you're strong," he said. I didn't believe him. "But you do know that there is a difference from recklessness and taking haste. True, we have to be quick, but we can't be reckless. The group's tired. You're tired. Our stomachs are rumbling. The fog is thick. You need some rest. Matthew needs rest."

"I never did anything right!" I screamed, and I trudged off.

--

Oswin arrived into the scene, seeing the tactician stomp off, quite angrily. He looked over at the blue-haired lord.

"Don't look at me!" Hector said, after a groan. "Whenever I try to be nice, people either laugh or get offended even more!"

"…She's young," Oswin said, as if that explained everything. "She has a brilliant mind, but she is young and confused."

"If she didn't have to think so much, she wouldn't be confused."

Oswin gave Hector a glare.

"Alright, alright!" The young lord said. "I was not thinking of my words! Something about being more sensitive, right, Oswin? I am working on it, I am. But women… they are just… odd. I guess I owe Kumi an apology again, eh?"

--

I trudged off into an empty tent that was conveniently set up, and I strapped it close. I couldn't do much. I could not protect my friends—I was not a warrior. I could not take up weapons—I would likely cause more harm. Why didn't I learn fighting instead? Tactics was getting me nowhere… I could not even protect those I never wanted to see harmed…

I started crying. I just did. I couldn't help it. I was so pitiful, so weak.

Then the tent flaps opened, and I immediately turned the other way, rubbing my tears away with my hands. But then I felt a pair of arms embrace me from behind, and a whisper. "It's not your fault," it said.

I didn't have to turn around to recognize the voice. Matt. "It's not your fault," he said again. I didn't believe him in the slightest. He started patting my head, ruining my hair, but it didn't annoy me, for once. And I could just imagine him smiling down at me, but his smile would never be the same, and his laugh would never be the same.

I turned to him and buried my face into his shirt, soaking it with tears. He gave a sort of chuckle but he didn't stop me. I cried onto him and he embraced me, but oddly I couldn't find comfort in it. Matt would never be the same again. In the far-off corners of my mind, I wished for Mark's arms instead.

"It's not your fault," he repeated the line as if it were a chant. "Not yours, not Lord Hector's. It's the Black Fang who did that. Not you."

"B-But--!" I was choking on my tears. I couldn't find words to speak my thoughts, so I cried again. Matt smelled the same—sweat and mud and some blood and some fog and a hint of something fragrant, but I knew that he'd never be the same.

"…You're too young for this," he said, in a whisper. I was about to ask, but he spoke. "You're fourteen. You shouldn't be in war, you shouldn't be between fighting, and you shouldn't be blaming yourself. There is still so much you can do."

I did not understand what he said at all. We lived in a world where violence was unavoidable, where skirmishes were normal and almost an everyday affair. And my mind was too clouded to understand.

"Why… why don't you cry?" I asked. A senseless question, but it puzzled me the same.

"Leila…" he began, speaking the name with some difficulty, "she was… she was strong. She was one of Ostia's best spies. When there was work to be done, she did that first. So… I just can't find it in myself to mourn yet. Not while those Black Fang live."

He will never be the same again.

"I just can't mourn yet," he said. "I just can't bring myself to cry. So if you have to cry, Kumi, cry for me as well."

So I did. But he would never be the same again.

**End of Chapter.**

--

A/N: Extra emotional for this chapter. wipes off tears Ugh. I think I went a little too far. I don't like being extra emotional. But since I'm writing a flawed 14-year old girl who was a little less than tough, I went for it. AND the ending was dangerously leaning on romance, which eats me from inside. Something just screams "SAP!!" and I wanted to kill it. But then I figured I just had to live with it. At such let's make it clear that Matt only sees Kumi as a little sister or something now. Kumi may also just see him only as an older brother, but we don't really know. I mean, Kumi can't answer for us, can she? She's busy crying.

But anyway, in reality this is a really emotional chapter, so let's live with the extra emotional dose here.

And yes, Hector means well, but he just doesn't know how to show it. And there's no HectorxTactician. Because I think he was made for Lyn.

Comments and reviews welcome!

NOTE: This chapter was done from 12 midnight to 3 in the AM. This chapter was also partly done while frying eggs and squid balls and cooking rice. The eggs, the squid balls, and the rice turned out well (even if I left them and typed away while they were cooking—multitasking! It's one of my skills) and I hope the chapter went as well, too. Pardon typos and grammatical errors, and don't let the fact that I'm not a native English-speaker slip you. yawns Good night.

Update: Yeah, I updated a little earlier for this. I may as well bore everyone with the state of my life. Recently my mother got operated on, and she'll need about half a year of recovery. Since I waved my white flag and quit law after a mean teacher flunked me FOR NO REASON AT ALL, I am here bumming myself at home. But since my mom's still recovering, I'm not exactly bumming. I cook everything, do the market work and groceries, wash the plates, clean up, stuff like that. I have been demoted! Or promoted, whatever. I was once a slacker, and now I'm a maid. I hate it, but it must be done. Or someone can mail me a robot-maid, and then we're all happy. Okay, I bored you, didn't I? So everyone, love your moms or anyone else for doing all the dirty work in the house.

I'm not too confident with this chapter, to be honest… So I need your insight.


	25. Imprisoner of Magic

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN EXTRA : IMPRISONER OF MAGIC

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_With Uhai's dying words still sounding in their ears, we venture deep into the forest's heart. Lyn moves in utmost silence, cautious not to alert any hidden enemy. However, following on her path, a new Black Fang shadow appears._

We walked again later that day, and it was not so hard as there was no sun. It was hard, on my part, as I felt my entire body feel…heavy. My mind was craving things I can't have as well—Anko's tarts, Sir Alecto's lap, Xarin's stew, Mark's arms. I just wanted to go home.

Lord Hector was right, and Matt was right. I was just a kid. But I couldn't just leave them—I had to look out for them. I had to grow up for them, and I had to look ahead. We were at Valor. Lord Eliwood's father is here. Everything ends with Lord Elbert—then we can all go home and I'll go back to Bern and stay there while I can. I had no formal study, but I'm educated—I can read and I can write. I'm sure I can find a living somewhere… and hope Sir Alecto doesn't think me a burden and marry me off to some random stranger.

I penned a letter to Mark during our break, though I knew it'd take a while before I could send it. And as he was wandering around Bern looking for a way to practice tactics, I don't even know where I should send it. I wrote it in hopes that he'd magically hear it if I did, but that's just stupid.

We walked ahead—we did not look back. Matt was trying to be his normal self—I noticed he's keeping himself busier than usual. He talks with almost everyone and tugs on Guy's braids and Serra's ponytails when he's bored, constantly sending the latter two in a frenzy. Guy tries to ignore it first, but then Serra causes an uproar, and Matt laughs. I didn't understand what he was doing. Why doesn't he just cry? I had a feeling he was going to be out for revenge, trying to avenge Leila. Hopefully I'm wrong…

Lyn was in the lead, looking for the site we needed. "Turn west from the great rotted tree," Uhai said before he died. The fog has thinned, so we didn't have to walk with torches.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and I turned around. It was Erk. "Are you… alright now?" he asked.

"Oh, I was well to begin with!" I told him. Agh, just why was I lying? It's pointless.

"You're not doing a good job acting," he told me. See? It was pointless.

I sighed, and took a deep breath. I was depressed to the core, but something inside me screamed to be like Matt—I can't be like this forever. I forced on a smile and said, "This is… it just happens, and I just didn't know how to react. But we have to go on, right?"

He only nodded. "Well… I'm glad to hear that you're fine now."

And then he trudged off.

Gods! Erk, were you dense! I wasn't well at all!

I felt as if a thorn had been pulled from my heart when he went away. I could not take acting at all—I can't! It killed me from inside. Though I may have done it well, it just hurt me. I can't bear with not being real at all. If I'm hurt I have to cry, and if I'm stabbed I had to scream. How can Matt last doing this? Laughing when he's hurt, smiling when he's pained?

Then again he was a thief. I know a lot about them from Anko—they acted, lied, and snuck around for a living. Anko smiled and laughed even if there was nothing funny. Anko could stab herself and keep her mouth shut. It amazed me how silent she could be when she wanted to be—I've seen stitches sewn into her skin (by her collarbone, out of some accident) and she didn't mouth a single word. In fact, she was laughing as if the needles tickled her. And she would later say "It didn't hurt at all!" even if in the recesses of her mind she thought it hurt like hell.

Why did they have to hide their feelings so much?

The group stopped, and I found before us a tall tree, probably centuries old. The leaves were all withered and there were small holes in the trunks, with some worms protruding from them. The roots were thick, a lot of them raised from the ground. I felt a chill creep my spine—I have never seen a tree like this before. It was so huge, and it stank of… death.

"A great, rotted tree," Lord Eliwood began. I had noticed that Canas kept on walking, eyes glued to his book. Lord Eliwood continued, "This would appear to be—"

A sudden scream surprised us—Canas tripped over a root! He fell face-first into the soil, and… we laughed. It just seemed like the right thing to do!

And so there went the chill on my spine. Poof. It was gone.

Bartre helped the shaman up, and then gave him a slap on the back—to which Canas coughed and muttered a nearly incorrigible 'thank you'. When the shaman bent down to pick up his books and assured us he was alright, Lord Eliwood cleared his throat, as if to say, "Where were we?"

That was just so priceless. The eerie aura of the tree faded in a snap. Rather we'd all remember it as the tree that Canas tripped over.

"So," Lyn said with a smile, "if we move west from here, we'll reach the Dragon's Gate, right?"

"OK, let's go!" Lord Hector said, and almost enthusiastically he and Lyn set off.

I went over to Sir Canas, and picked up a book he left on the ground. I studied it first—it was a rather new volume, which was odd. Upon closer examination, it was of Bernese make. How can I tell? My people have an odd habit of binding things in metal rather than in leather. It's a tedious work, but we have mines in the southeast that have loads of metal, so we don't use them conservatively.

"Oh, thank you, young lady," Canas said as I handed the book to him. When I faced him, he brightened up as if he remembered something. "Oh yes!" he said. "I remembered!" I gave him a puzzled look.

"Your mentor," he said. "He's the greatest strategist ever known to Elibe, and he had worked for Bern."

Well, that's not surprising news now. "I guess he was. He is sort of popular and influential with the people…" Such as, he got me into the Military Academy even if I was no noble, and even if I was a girl. No girl studies warfare in Bern—but Sir Alecto was able to pull some strings. So it's either he's really well-known, or he's just really scheming, like Anko. (I still wasn't able to graduate and get my license, though!)

"I can't believe it!" he shrieked. "I'm fighting under the student of the great Alecto! My wife won't believe this—we had thought he was dead! …He's still well, isn't he?"

"As well as well can be," I told him.

And so I walked along with Sir Canas, telling him of my life with Sir Alecto. Well, I was dead tired, and I longed for my family, so why not talk about them instead, since I can't go home?

Maybe Matt wasn't hiding his feelings—maybe he just knew that Leila would want him to move on and 'not shirk his duties', as he said.

Maybe I had to do the same.

-----

I was telling my stories to Sir Canas, and Fiora walked along us, too. "Father—I mean, Sir Alecto is a very, very kind man. But very mysterious," I said. I showed them the pendant Sir Alecto gave me, and held it up to the sky. It very nicely reflected what light was there in Valor. "We've always sort of guessed he was affiliated with Bern a lot, but there's not a word of confirmation of this from his mouth. I think he thinks that it's best it was kept secret."

Fiora examined the pendant. "The design looks familiar…"

Canas then looked at it, and nearly jumped when he recognized the pattern. "Oh my goodness, Kumiko!" he said. "This is one of Bern's royal jewels! Only a member of the royal family has this!"

"W-What?" I knew it had the royal insignia, but I didn't know it was a royal jewel! "…Sir Alecto couldn't have stolen it…"

"Then maybe someone gave it to him, because he gained their trust," said Fiora.

We settled at that. I started telling my stories again. "So, we have seven other members… Firstly, there's Anko. She's my bestfriend. She's no tactician, but she's a clever, scheming one. Sometimes I hate her and wonder why she's my best friend. Then there's Mark. He's like my older brother, and he's really wise. Then there's Xarin—she's serious and quiet most of the time, minding her work before anything else, but that aside she makes killer stews. And Nerisa—she's got a job on Ilia now. She's also very mischievous, so when she and Anko are together, it's bound to be a mess. There's Jenro, and he's supposedly in Lycia now, finishing his book about the mysteries of Elibe. And Knarrd… he's quieter than Xarin, and wiser than Mark. He's a shaman like you, Sir Canas. But he's very young. And he doesn't seem to age at all. Then there's Miguel. He's actually a cavalier and is training now in Etruria as a knight."

Ah, I miss my family… It's been a long while since we all sat down and were together…

------

We had continued to walk on, and I decided to take a breather and sit under a tree, even for a few seconds. Luckily the tree was not dead, so it offered shade. But I may have wanted sun. The fog may have thinned out, but the air was cool of fine mist and the sky was cloudy. As if to say that the sun does not shine brightly in the Dread Isle. That just made it even more dreadful.

I wrapped my arms tightly around myself. Ugh, was it cold. My hands were all chilly as well.

I felt something tap my shoulder, and turned around to face Erk. He didn't speak—he was handing out a Fire Tome for me.

"What's this for?" I asked.

"I bought a new one at Badon. I gave this one to you, didn't I?"

"That's thoughtful, but I think it'd have more use in your hands, Erk," I said.

He shrugged, as if to say, "maybe".

"You look like you can use it, though. Open a page, you'll know what I mean."

And he left the tome at my lap, and then walked on. Is it just me, or is he avoiding me as if I'm a plague again?

I was puzzled, but I opened the tome midway. There was a bunch of gibberish written that made my head ache for a while—and then relieved me. I stared at the odd letters carefully—I could not understand them, but why was it that I felt that with every letter, my mind was being opened to something?

I traced the letters with my fingers. And oddly, the pages were warm.

Wait—did I just say 'warm'?! Whoohoo!! I planted my hands on the pages. It _was_ warm! It was a Fire tome, wasn't it? Made sense!

I was enjoying that, and it seemed that a warm wind also took me, embracing me. Oh, gosh, that is so comforting. I don't ever need a cloak if I have something like this. Oh, I do love you, Erk.

-----

_I have to recover. I have to recover._ I was repeating the words like some magic chant as I caught up to the group, trying to balance the Fire tome on my head as walked. I was doing a pretty successful job. For some reason the tome actually kept me warm when it was near me. How come I never noticed it before?

I was walking around, mind on the tome on my head, when I suddenly heard voices. In screams. Screams loud enough for the whole world to hear.

It was Lord Hector and Lyn.

"Stop yelling at me!" Lyn told the other lord, and she looked very distressed as she pointed a finger to lord Hector and stomped her feet to the ground. "It's because of that clattering armor you're wearing! I'm just saying we have to move cautiously. Nothing more!"

"I know!" Lord Hector screamed back. "And I'm saying that I'm doing my best!"

I saw Lord Eliwood rush off towards the two to break of their argument. "Quiet, both of you!" Lord Eliwood said. "Armor or no, if you two keep shouting like that, every enemy from here to Pherae itself will hear us!"

The two looked apologetic, but to Lord Eliwood, and not to each other. Oh boy. I remembered that scene in Fargus' ship—seems like friction between Lyn and Lord Hector was meant to be. And I remembered Matt's tiny advice—we had to do something to make them get along.

I walked back to the group—and guess what greeted me. Chaos.

"MATTHEW!!! STOP PULLING MY HAIR!! I've had enough of it and I don't care if Leila just died—just stop messing my ponytails or I'll tell on Lord Hector!! So stop!!"

"Hah! Make me!"

"Sain, you incorrigible lout! Must you truly hit on every woman you come across?! I swear you would hit on my horse if I put a skirt on it!"

"Kent, hear me! You'll grow old fast because you're so stiff and you barely take time to relax! When you're old and you're regretting things, you'll remember my words--!"

"Erk!! Help me!! Make Matthew stop pulling my hair!!"

"Serra, why must you always see me?! Can't you leave me alone to read in peace?!"

"You just left home with brother without saying anything!! Not a thing!! You didn't even send a letter!! I bet you and brother forgot all about me, never thinking of what I felt, alone at home and missing you both!"

"Rebecca, why won't you just listen to me?!"

Chaos.

I trudged off to Fiora, Priscilla and Florina, who were standing there, dumbfounded. Lucius was away a safe distance, hands clasped together in what was probably a prayer to stop this nonsense. I couldn't find the rest.

I groaned. "What has come into these people?"

"W-Well," Florina spoke, voice tense and shaking. All the shouting must be scaring her. "We were just walking and they all started arguing…"

I rolled my eyes, and then turned to Fiora. "They're not like this all the time. I hope this doesn't scare you."

"Not at all," she said. "But it's just… odd."

Matt kept teasing Serra and Serra kept bugging Erk. Sain and Kent were in a heated debate and Wil and Rebecca were having some misunderstanding. Rebecca even kicked Wil. Argh! The noise! The last thing we need is Bartre coming around and declaring world domination. My head hurts. My head hurts…

The unwanted happened—I made out Bartre's voice in the middle of the noise (not hard) as he screamed, "Aaargh!!! Do you think it's my fault?! Are you calling me stupid?!"

Then came Merlinus' sharp shriek from his tent. "Aaaaaaaah!!! No!! Don't touch that!! You'll break it!! Get your hands off--!!"

That was just what I needed. Ugh.

I took a deep breath, and then opened my mouth to scream at the top of my lungs---"SHUT UP, FOR ELIMINE'S SAKE!!!"

They all fell silent. That did it.

They all stared at me, dumbfounded. And a hand held me on the shoulder. "Kumiko…"

It was Guy. I turned to him and snapped, "What?! I knew that was loud and I knew that was rude, but for crying out loud these people don't even know how to feel!! Someone had just died and they're fighting and they could die next, but they can bother to scream and tease and drive my head insane!! Or are you going to tell me that I'm highly useless and uncompetitive, too, like Lord Hector tells me?! Or you going to tell me, too, that I'm too young to be trusted in this sort of mission and should be left home to rot and wait for a cursed man to marry me as if that was all a girl's life was about?! What?! What are you going to tell me?!"

Guy was shocked, and he backed away. I was breathless. Everyone was silent.

Marcus then rode into the scene, Lowen not far from him. The paladin was a little baffled by our state, but then he just said, "Enemy troops ahead. We have to fight, Lady Tactician."

I groaned. Just what I needed. Another fight. I screamed my orders and everyone stirred to action.

-----

"That was not very nice."

The comment was from Raven, and he spoke it very plaintively, as we marched towards the enemies. His sword was in his hand, ready to go cutting up people anytime.

He must mean my emotional outburst of rage earlier on. I didn't know that he was there. I rolled my eyes. "Well, who are you for me to listen to?"

For some reason I couldn't help but act like a brat.

"You struck me more as the… compassionate kind of tactician. I just found out that you were like the lot of them who only care about winning."

"Least I didn't care for revenge." Like Lyn fought to avenge her family and now her grandfather, like Hector and Matt fought to avenge Leila.

Raven threw me a sharp, killer look, as if I had said something that offended him. During normal circumstances his look would scare me, but now was not a normal case. I threw the look he gave me back at him, and he walked off. Well, that was odd.

------

We were fighting a horde of enemies and our group was fending off wave after wave. We left Merlinus alone as to charge at the enemies, because Lord Eliwood, too, was growing impatient. He just wanted to get this over and done with, so we launched a full attack. Those Black Fang won't know what hit them.

We were evenly matched, I say. The enemies have a balanced horde—a decent number of fighters and archers and mages and flyers. Whoever leading them must have decent brains, if not good.

"Kumiko!!" I saw Sain riding towards me, carrying… something in his hands. He stopped before me, and got off his horse. I rolled my eyes. I still wasn't feeling well, and here was Sain, grinning like nothing happened. Sometimes ignorance is wonderful. And I have just found out from Lucius, much to my relief, that no, Sain did not use the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation thing on me. What a relief.

"Sain, if this is not a matter of supreme importance, please, spare me."

"I think it is!" he said. I still can't believe him. He held out an item to me—some small stone figurine of some woman.

"What is that supposed to be?"

"Can't you recognize it?! It's a statuette of the goddess of Luck!"

I blinked at the figurine. It didn't do anything, because I can't even differentiate the goddess of Life from the goddess of Death. The only deity I knew of was the god of war, and his wife—and that's a demand of the job, really.

"How are you sure that that _is_ the goddess of Luck?"

"Of course I'm sure! I know all of the beautiful goddesses by their names!"

What else would one expect from Sain?

"Here, keep it," he said. "It'll bring you good luck. Maybe your bad luck will end with this!"

"I don't have bad luck!" I said. "If I have bad luck, may lightning strike me where I stand now!"

And so Sain looked up to the skies, as if waiting for the lightning to come. Stupid.

"See, Sain? It's not going to happen—I do not have bad luck."

"Look out!"

Sain seized me and we crashed to the ground… and lightning struck. Right where I was standing a while ago. It was one huge flash, with a following thunder. The grass it hit was charred black.

I blinked in disbelief. "…What was that?"

"Lightning, I think," Sain said. We got up, and he said, "See, you do have bad luck. You should take the charm!"

I dusted my robes and said, "Look, Sain. I don't believe in luck. And I don't believe in lucky charms either! Look!" I rummaged through my bag and took out a smaller pouch, and showed its contents to Sain—a massive amount of small "lucky" trinkets and such. There was one or two from Anko, three from Jenro, one from Mark, two from Nerisa, four from Miguel—I couldn't keep count. Everyone it seems at the Tactician Guild loves giving these things to me just to tease me. "I have lucky wyvern scales, Pegasus feathers, wyvern tooth, lucky knots, lucky lock of hair, lucky everything! And they don't change a thing—they just make my bag heavier."

"Of course they don't change a thing!" Sain said. "Because none of them are really of the goddess of Luck! You must have this, Kumi! It'll keep you safe!"

"Yeah, right," I said. I pulled out my very heavy logbook to put back all my trinkets. I wiped my forehead with the same hand that was holding up my logbook—it certainly was getting hot here.

And then it happened—some force hit me, and I nearly fell over, but Sain held me. I had no idea what just happened—until I looked at my logbook, with a silver arrow stuck through it. And I had been holding it up to my forehead. I could have died.

Sain held up the statuette to me. "I guess that tells you to keep it."

I groaned and took it. "What harm can it possibly do?"

----

Later I ordered Sain to attack someone, and then it happened. I didn't know what it was, but it happened.

I wave of red rushed over all of us. The skies turned red, the fields turned red, the trees turned red—everything was bathed in reddish light. I blinked and clutched my head, thinking that this was a hallucination of some sort. Maybe I was nearing insanity, as I was insane to talk to cats and such anyway.

But Sain said, "What's going on?!" and a few others echoed his question. So I was not the only one seeing it. I noted that the enemies were surprised, too.

And then I heard a scream.

It was Lucius, not a great distance from me, who screamed as he buried his hands in hair and crumpled to the floor. He screamed as if something tore the life out of him from inside—this isn't good!

"Lucius!" I ran to him, and I was dead worried. I took him in my arms and his Light tome fell to the floor—and he screamed again as if he didn't recognize me, and then he fainted.

"What's wrong?!" I asked. I was nearing panic. The world has turned red and Lucius had acted like never before.

"Wake up! Wake up!" I heard Dorcas speaking. I turned to face him and found him lightly shaking a fainted Canas who was as limp as an old vegetable.

"What's wrong with him?!" I asked.

Wil was around to answer. "We have no idea! He just fell down on his own!"

First Lucius, and now Canas?! What was going on?!

"What's—What's--?!" That was Erk. He was not far from me—he was holding his tome, looking at it desperately. "Who won't it--?!" He began shaking the book, and then resorting to chanting a really lengthy incantation, then declaring "thunder". Nothing happened.

"W-What's the big idea?!" Serra spoke now. Great. What was the issue here?! I turned to her direction and found her holding her staff over one of Lowen's wounds—but oddly the staff wasn't glowing radiant white. "W-What's going on?! My staff's not working! Blessed Elimine, help me! What's going on?!"

By gut feel I turned to search for Priscilla and found her trying to heal a bleeding Dart. Trying. Her staff wasn't working as well. "I—I—", she stuttered as she stared at Dart's wound, and unable to do anything, she rummaged in her small bag for a vulnerary.

I literally felt my breathing become difficult. Things were scaring me—the red surroundings, staves not working, our allies fainting out of the blue. Canas and Lucius were not really made of tough material, but I knew they took their rests and were not tolerant of pain or martyrdom whatsoever. What was going on?!

I was still holding onto Lucius when I felt a hand grip my shoulder, as if leaning for support. I turned to see Erk, who was clutching his chest as if it hurt horribly, as if he couldn't breathe. He fell kneeling to the ground, to my level, and he said, in barely a whisper, "There's… something… odd…"

And then he fell to the ground, unconscious, his tome left lying open beside him.

"E-Erk!" I was shocked. Panicked, even. There was definitely something odd here at work—as I said with Lucius and Canas, Erk was not made of tough material, but he definitely won't faint just like that!

My eyes caught his open Thunder tome on the ground—I saw some light, some sort of aura emerge from it and then dissolve into thin air. As if something sucked the life out of it. As if something sucked the magic out of it. I glanced at my hip pouch—the same thing happened. I put the Fire tome I had in there.

I knew what it was.

And then I felt my breathing stop—literally.

I gasped, and clutched my chest, forcing myself to breathe but I can't. The world was still red and Lucius and Erk were still at my feet. I could barely move. And then I heard it—a thin, piercing sound that wouldn't leave me. It drove me mad—it would not leave. I buried my hands in my head, thinking that I should shake it badly and pull on my hair badly to get rid of this scene. I screamed and screamed and screamed, but I couldn't hear my voice. And then everything was black.

----

I opened my eyes, and could feel myself sweating hard. I looked around—the world was in many colors again. I could breathe. It all seemed like a dream, and this moment an escape from a nightmare.

But it wasn't. I turned to find Erk, Canas, and Lucius lying on the carpet, beside me. Where were we? I recognized the place to be Merlinus' tent.

"Oh, thank the gods!" That was Merlinus' voice. I found him sitting on a stool, looking below us, fanning us with a slice of wood. "You're finally awake!"

I clutched my head. Ugh. I could still hear that awful, thin sound in my head. ""What happened?"

"They say you passed out in the middle of battle!" Merlinus said. "They rushed all of you back here!"

"The entire place was red," I said. Merlinus didn't understand me at all.

In a few seconds, Erk, Canas and Lucius were all up. I watched them as they first opened their eyes to the brown of the shelves and the blue of Merlinus' tent. I swear all of them looked like they felt as I did—as if we woke up from a horrible nightmare.

"…What was that?" Lucius asked.

"It seemed as if it disabled magic," Erk said. "Priscilla and Serra couldn't use their staves. The enemy mages fell as well."

"It was a Magic Seal," Canas said.

"What's that?" I asked.

He explained. "It is something or someone whose presence nullifies magic. All magic."

"Then why did you guys---"

"Magic casters invite much of the magical forces into their own selves." Erk said. Lucius was about to speak something, but Erk sort of knew what, so he said, "That includes even monks and Light Magic users. Staff-users don't do this, though."

"Then that explains things," I said.

Erk looked up to me. "But why did you faint? You're not a mage."

I didn't know. We all exchanged glances. We didn't know.

I scratched my head. My brownish-yellow hair was practically ripped out of the neat braids I wore them in. My scalp hurt. I hadn't imagined things. I had tried to rip off my hair earlier. It was no illusion.

"Maybe because I was panicked?" I offered. But we really didn't know.

And then we heard Merlinus' scream. "Oh my!! Enemies!! Ahhh!! Enemies!!"

We all ran out to find enemy Pegasus Knights heading for us. Florina and Fiora were already engaging them, and Rebecca was shooting them with her bow. The mages beside me began casting spells to support the two. Their magic worked.

But I was puzzled.

------

"It seems that the staves don't work in that red area…" Priscilla told me as she healed something on Raven with her staff. We were standing by some trees, which were green and brown as they should be, but ahead of us, everything was shaded red, bathed by that reproachful red light. Even the skies. "It was… most uncomforting," said Priscilla. "I felt weak…"

"You are well now?" Raven asked her.

"Yes, Ra---Raven." Priscilla seemed to speak the name with some difficulty.

"Lucius is well?" Raven asked me.

"He's stayed with the other mages at camp, sir. He's regained consciousness."

He just gave a nod of some sort. Then he said, "The red field doesn't seem to affect non-mages. We can fight still. But it's odd—the enemy mages fell as well, and they were surprised of this as well."

Most odd. It bugged me. If Jenro, my friend from the Tactician Guild, were here, he wouldn't let go of this mystery until he finds answers. But I was not as good as him when it comes to making up theories…

What was this all about?

----

Oddly, the leader of the enemies was a sage, and he could not use his magic, too. He made easy prey for Lord Hector's axe. The red field had not vanished with him. We moved along to find what the heck caused it.

"That's him," Lord Hector said as a group of fighters surrounding a cloaked, hooded figure came into view.

"How do you know it's him?" I asked.

"_You know it's him_."

And oddly, Lord Hector was right. I couldn't tell why, but inside me, I felt that that man was the cause of this red field. I could just tell it.

"What do we do?"

"Strike him down, of course!" Lord Hector said.

We marched towards that group—and had barely engaged the enemies when they had vanished, as if teleporting out of the place.

The red field lifted. Color aside from red returned to the forest.

But… who was that?

"That was odd," Lord Hector said.

Odd. Definitely odd.

I looked around—almost everyone was rubbing their eyes, as if delighted to see all the green and brown and blue. I myself was delighted. I lived around dense forests in Bern, and travelled through trees all the time that I thought I'd be sick of them—but now they're a relief to the eyes. But… what was that magic seal?

Lord Eliwood and Lyn eventually walked towards me and Lord Hector. "Is everyone well?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Yes, somehow," the blue-haired lord responded.

"Eliwood," Lyn turned to the said lord, "I'm sorry. I said things I shouldn't have."

"No, I was shouting without thinking," Lord Hector said. "I was wrong. Forgive me."

"No, it was my fault," Lyn insisted. "If I hadn't—"

"It's no one's fault," Lord Eliwood said. "There's an eerie power here."

"…Eerie power?" I repeated, curiously.

Lord Eliwood nodded "I don't feel it any longer, but... It was meant to make us uneasy. Was it connected to that area where magic was nullified?"

Lyn looked thoughtful, and then she said, "Now that you mention it, I was so irritable... I couldn't let even the smallest thing go by without complaining. ...What could that have been? The Black Fang couldn't use magic either. So it wasn't an ally of theirs..."

_I was so irritable._

Ugh. That force… whatever it was, it affected me, too…

And I realized I had some apologizing to do.

I ran off and left the three lords, and pushed on through our group who were settling their things, resting, or getting healed. I had found some of them laughing again—those who had been arguing were starting to get together again now. I had one particular person in mind.

"Guy!" I exclaimed as I tapped the Sacaean on his shoulder. He turned to face me—blood was smeared on a side of his face, some at his neck. I felt myself gasp.

He must've seen it. "Oh, this is nothing," he said, with an almost-innocent smile. "I was sweating, so I wiped my face and my neck with my hand—didn't notice my hand was stained with blood."

I nodded—it seemed he wasn't lying. There wasn't a wound anywhere. It still looked a little frightening, though. I rummaged in my bag for something to clean him up with—no luck.

"W-Wait a second," I said as I rummaged some more, "I'll get something…"

"Don't mind," he said. And then he wiped his face with his sleeve.

"That'll be a pain to wash," I remarked, staring at the blood stains on his shirt.

He just shrugged.

"Listen, Guy…"

He looked down to me, and then blinked. He was curious.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. You were only concerned for me, right?"

His expression softened into a smile, as he scratched his head. His braids were starting to loosen, too. "Well, that's fine now," he said. "Can't blame you, though. We've been through a lot. That makes it hard to keep cool!"

He was right. I told myself that I'll keep my temper in check from now on, and I won't let my emotions get the better of me. I had work to do.

**End of Chapter.**

**A/N:**

About the Matt VS Legault matter…

At level 20 thief, my Matt has 9 STR, 10 SKL, 20 SPD, 16 LCK, 9 DEF, 5 RES. In comparison Legault has 12 STR, 19 SKL, 20 SPD, 17 LCK, 10 DEF and 6 RES. That's Legault beating Matt on every stat (and that's Matt with the stat+ items). And add to the fact that Guy maxes speed before Matt does. So when it's time to give off that Fell Contract, I tend to give it to Legault. He just outshines my Matt on all my games as a thief. 'Course, he has the hard mode bonus, and the tactician bonus (since he's the same affinity as my tactician, Kumi) So I almost always give it to Legault. I'll give Matt a shot again this time… Maybe it's just my games that are all Matt-RNG-screwed. His level-ups hate me!

Yeah, you get a goddess icon on this stage from Renault, and I was wondering who to give it to… so I gave it to Kumi. Let's assume the Lightning that hit Kumi was from a Bolting Tome.

Sain: tugs on kageshoujo's sleeve Ehh, lovely writer or our fates, I should tell you something! Well, no one uses the Bolting tome on this stage. Not even the boss on Hard mode!

Me: What?! No one has a Bolting tome here?? Ehehe… let's just say I gave them one. Or it's that lucky goddess intervening for Kumi's sake.

For some blessed reason I'm too bored yawn to continue to the next chapter. Right now I'm working on a story in a fandom that's probably foreign to you all guys. I might not finish this fic. *shudders* I can't find it in me to continue the next chapter!! Rargh!! I need motivation!! Mo-ti-va-tion!! That's it, I'll go take a hike and wait 'til Kumi tells me what to do next. She hasn't been speaking to me lately (I mean that in the most normal way possible), so I can't quite get the Kumi voice to pop out and I can't keep writing. I think I've been cursed. Or now that Leila's gone, I don't have something to look forward to to write. Or just that I'm really, really bored with my life. Okay, I'll shut up. I'll go take that hike.

Thanks to: FireEmblem MewMew, Xirysa, Derra, Terran34, and DarkBlaziken. I think you guys are the only ones reading me right now. O_O So I love you all. Thanks in advance to whoever will drop a review. Kageshoujo out.


	26. Chapter 26

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER NINETEEN : DRAGON'S GATE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Following Uhai's last words, Eliwood ventures toward the heart of the forest. He is greeted by an extraordinary sight. A building unlike any he's ever seen. It was clearly not wrought by human hands... It is waiting... waiting for the masters who abandoned it centuries past. Massive beyond belief, these ancient ruins have nothing to do with humankind. Eliwood has arrived. He has found the Dragon's Gate._

"Stupid—arrow!!" I practically screamed to my logbook as I tried in vain to pull off the arrow that managed to somehow—somehow!—pierced through it. It was some silver arrow, and it managed to break through the steel binding of my logbook. Oh, all our expenses and our travel log was there, and my letters to Mark…

I desperately walked over to Dorcas, and handed the thing to him and gave him a pleading look. He knew what he had to do. He pulled off the arrow from my logbook, and then handed it back to me.

"I thought you bound it in metal," he said.

"I did. But it was a silver arrow. And a really strong archer." Or the goddess of luck—whoever she was—trying to tell me to take the stupid statue from Sain.

And then I heard a wave of awe and gasps from the entire group. I didn't know why—so I turned around.

I gaped. I froze. I stood there, I didn't budge.

I was standing before the entrance to the Dragon's Gate. Or the Dragon's Gate itself, because we were before a gate, and, gods, it was HUGE. The gate was nothing compared to a castle gate; it was as big as a castle itself. Being a 14-year-old girl I was smaller compared to many things, and I shrunk more before the gate.

"We're here," Lord Eliwood said. "The Dragon's Gate..."

Lyn and Lord Hector were with us at front, and they were all shocked as I was. This place… it's definitely not for humans. There were ruins beyond the gate, all massive though destroyed. If I were going to fight something, maybe some dragon, as huge as this, I would rather wash plates all my life. I felt the stone of the gate—it was cool to the touch, softened by layers of moss—it was so old.

"This place," Lyn said, "it's… enormous beyond belief… I can't believe such a place exists."

I was about to ask Ninian things about the place, thinking she might know something, but when I turned to her I saw her shaking in her dress, as if frightened.

Lord Eliwood noticed it. "What's wrong, Ninian? You're trembling."

" ...This place... so frightening. Something... powerful..."

The lords gathered around Ninian, and I did, too. "It's her power, isn't it?" I said.

"Her power? What's that?" Lord Hector asked.

"Ninian has the ability to sense impending danger," Lyn told him. "Her memory may be gone, but her power remains."

"What is it you sense, Ninian?" Lord Eliwood asked her, softly.

"I... should not have... come here. Something awful will happen if I'm here. Ah!!"

And Ninian started shrieking and shivering again. Lord Eliwood was the first to hold her and shake her mildly. "Ninian!? Snap out of it!"

She didn't stop. "This place... No... I...I..."

Panic crept into us. Lord Eliwood gripped Ninian tightly and said, "She's getting worse! Let's get her away from here!"

Lord Eliwood led Ninian away from the gate, more or less dragging her to move. Lord Hector and Lyn and I followed, nervous. I have a bad feeling about this. I have a bad---

And then he came in a blink. A man, cloaked in dark robes, with eyes that glowed golden that seemed to keep much, too much for me to even comprehend. He just appeared there, right in front of Lord Eliwood and Ninian. I blinked, and Lord Hector bumped into me. But the man didn't disappear. He stayed right there. So he was real.

"You'll not be going anywhere," he told Lord Eliwood. He gave a glance to Ninian. "That little bird has escaped this island cage twice. Now that she's back, she'll not be allowed to fly away again."

"Who are you!?" Lord Eliwood asked for all of us.

"We meet at last," the man said. "I am Ephidel. Pleased to make your acquaintance." And he gave us a mock half-bow.

Ephidel! So he was Ephidel! That creep…

"You're Ephidel?" Lord Hector lightly pushed me aside to walk nearer to the Ephidel person. "I've been looking forward to this."

"...Gallantly spoken," Ephidel said. "Of course, I know who you are. Marquess Ostia's younger brother, Lord Hector. And here we have Caelin's beloved princess, Lady Lyndis," he gestured towards Lyn.

Lyn was silent, but her eyes were on Ephidel, examining him closely. She and Lord Hector stood together, in front of me, as if hiding me from Ephidel. Lord Eliwood held Ninian closer. I was shivering. I knew I was. This Ephidel… for some reason I felt his power. I felt… magic. So much magic power oozing from him, as if he was made from it.

"By the way," he spoke, "the gift I left for you in the forest... Was it to your liking? The corpse of that filthy red-haired traitor?"

That did it.

I almost screamed, but Lyn held me on the shoulder. And Lord Hector shouted before I could. "Monster! Stay right there!" He pointed a finger towards Ephidel, and his other hand was clenched so tightly at his side. "I'm going to crush the life from you with my bare hands!"

"Now I see! She was an Ostian spy, wasn't she? Don't worry, she did not suffer. It only took one blow."

"Die!!" Lord Hector gripped his axe, and charged at Ephidel.

But then he vanished, just when Lord Hector was about to give him a good one.

"He vanished!!" Lord Eliwood was puzzled, as we all were. He let go of Ninian, and looked around, as we all did.

And again, the exact moment Lord Eliwood released Ninian from his arms, Ephidel appeared and took Ninian!

"Wha--!?" Ninian resisted, but Ephidel held her tight.

"This girl is needed for my master's ceremony," Ephidel said. And then he and Ninian started fading into thin air.

"Ninian!" Lord Eliwood screamed. But she and Ephidel had vanished.

"Blast!!" Lord Hector yelled, and he kicked on the gate walls. And kicked so hard that some stones actually crumbled.

Fang… they did that to Leila! They took Lord Eliwood's father, took Ninian, and killed Leila! So it all ends today!

"The foes will be strong," Lord Hector told me in a hushed tone. "We're not sure we'll all survive. It's best you leave others behind to wait here. Sure, we'll have less manpower, but you have less people to worry about."

"…Are you sure about that?" I asked him, in the same tone he used.

"If we all die here, I won't be able to forgive myself, even if I'm already dead."

"Alright." He was my master. I had to follow him. And what he said had sense. I don't care if I died, so long as the others survived.

"You know that this is dangerous, Kumi," he told me. "Are you sure that you want to do this?"

I was sure. "Haven't I been putting myself in danger all this time?"

He gave a small smile. And then I set off to the others to explain what would be done. I sorted out, very quickly, in my mind, who was coming and who was not. I explained it nicely to them. Sure, I had to break a little argument with Sain…

"How can you NOT take me?!" Sain said "That traitor, Laus... He harmed Lord Hausen, caused grief to Lady Lyndis... As a true knight of Caelin, I will make him pay! Leave him to me!! So take me!!"

"I'm taking Kent!"

"WHY can't you take us both?!"

Because there was the off-chance that Sain were to do something stupid, and we didn't need that for such an important battle. "Because this is dangerous!"

"I'm not afraid to die!!" he shouted.

I froze, I think. He said it quite loudly. And when he realized he did, he just pulled up his Sain smile. "I'm not afraid to die. Because even if I live and know that I passed up the chance to kick that Laus fool, I'd die of shame! As I said, as a true knight of Caelin, I WILL make him pay! So take me!"

…There was nothing I could do against that. "Alright. Join up with Kent."

"So I'm to stay here with everyone else?"

"Yes, Erk," I told the mage. "We've walked a lot, and I'm sure that's taken its toll on you. And then there was that last battle. I-I'm not saying you're not strong, it's just that this is very dangerous. This might be the last battle, and we can't mess up."

"I understand," he said.

I sighed a sigh of relief.

Then he said, "But, if you would, can I come?"

I was surprised. "I-I just said that--!"

"He's not watching over you." I didn't understand what he said, until he threw his head slightly to the side. I glanced at what, or who, was there. It was Matt. "You won't have anyone to watch you. I-If you would," his voice was hesitant, and I caught his fingers fidgeting along his cloak, "I-I can do that in his place. I-If it's… alright."

Matt.

I knew what Erk was talking about. Matt was usually who Lord Hector assigned to watch over me, but I just knew that he would go all out on this battle, as I wanted to. We were fighting those creeps who killed Leila! He hasn't cried. Not a tear. I just knew he was going to bring out all his frustrations and feelings into killing the enemies…

"Thanks, Erk," I said. "But I'm thinking of bringing Canas and Lucius, so… And I think I'll manage fine. Thanks for caring."

He just nodded. So he understood. Thank goodness.

But then Sir Raven came and tapped me on the shoulder. I didn't even have to turn to him—he whispered his words to my ear. "I have a request. You're not bringing others, right? I want Lucius to skip this battle. And maybe Priscilla, too."

I turned to him. He said he had a request, but his tone was all, 'say-no-to-me-and-I'll-cut-through-you'. I took a breath and said, "I can let Lucius off, but not Priscilla. We need her staff for this one, even if we already have Serra."

He stared at me for a while. I didn't know what he was thinking. But I sort of think it's, 'then I'll look after her myself'. Yes, I have been noticing all the Raven-Priscilla connections. I wonder if Guy does, too.

"Alright," he said, and he set off.

I turned back to Erk. "So there's been a change in plans…"

The battlefield was cold and old and full of ruins that were colossal beyond belief. There was some mist, but not enough to hinder the vision. I hated the cold, though. It always made me lazy, and it always made everything—even time—slow down, in my opinion. I'd much rather want a hot, humid battlefield where I could feel the tension in the air. It was so much better than feeling such coldness that was almost eerie, as if brushing bodies with someone long dead. Oh! Oh! I just had to say it. This gives me the creeps!

For most part I found my mouth kept shut. The enemies were vicious, but the group I had along was thrice-fold more alert than I've ever seen them. It was in everyone's eyes. A sharpness, a determination, a "this is where everything could end! We've fought so long and it's all worthless if we lost this one!" Sharp, serious, determined eyes. So determined that those eyes could probably bore a hole through me.

Well, Sain was the exception. When I just think I caught him in a serious moment, he magically finds me looking at him and just smiles and winks. In all the tension of the others, Sain being like that is sort of a relief. Sort of.

I kept Matt in my sight whenever I could. He… he was everywhere. He was almost uncontrollable. He seemed to have some infinite energy powered by his hatred, and I couldn't count how many enemies he's brought down. I didn't know whether to feel glad or not for him.

Maybe the lucky statue did work or something, because for the first time in my life I wasn't hounded by pesky archers or pesky swordfighters or pesky pests. Having Erk at my side sort of helped, too.

"We split up," I told Lord Hector when we came across some forks in the path. "Two groups, yours goes straight ahead and has more people. I'll take the other route with a few others."

He made a face. A protesting kind of face. "If anything happens to you I'll—"

"I'll be there," Lyn told him. "You go with Eliwood. I'll lead this group with Kumi. Okay?"

He was silent for a while. And then he just agreed. "Okay."

When we split up, Lyn took my side and said, "Are you scared?"

"Very."

"Try not to worry. Nothing can go wrong with your plans—only if we don't do our best. And we're doing everything we can."

"…Lyn?"

"Yes?"

"You want to kill Laus, right?"

She almost gave a laugh. And then she answered. "Yes. I want to. So, so much."

The enemy sword-user that appeared right before Priscilla was there in an instant that all I could do was scream. I felt time slow, and I saw everyone's reaction. Rebecca and Dart and Lyn turned to look at the commotion, and Erk fumbled for a spell knowing that he won't make it in time anyways. Guy, who was supposed to be looking out for Priscilla, was a distance away but he looked back when he heard Priscilla scream. I literally saw the horror in his face.

But in a blink, Raven was there to protect Priscilla. I didn't even notice him arrive—he was just there all of a sudden, slashing through the enemy. The blood splashed onto Priscilla's horse and onto her dress. I made a face. In the middle of such an important battle I still had the time to recall that that was going to be a pain to wash out.

Priscilla caught her breath and I rushed to her side. Guy came along too. He was about to say something to Priscilla but he was met by Raven.

"You were supposed to be watching her, right?" Raven asked. He was giving Guy some deadly glare.

"Uhm, right…"

"You're doing a real good job." Raven's statement was dripping with sarcasm. Oooh. And then he went away, and Priscilla actually followed him. Double oooh.

Guy sighed, and then turned to me. "I now officially think he is more annoying than Matthew."

I thought Raven liked Priscilla, too. Maybe he thought Guy was his rival of sorts. But then I heard what Guy said. I looked around. "Did you see Matt?"

He blinked at me, and looked around as well. "He was just there a while ago!"

I was suddenly panicked. Ooh, if Matt's anger leads him to do things dangerous I'll… "I told you to keep an eye on him!" I told Guy, my voice almost a scream. "You know what he could do! He's mad!"

"I'm sorry!" Guy said. "But how am I supposed to watch Priscilla AND Matthew?"

Ugh. He was right. "I'm sorry, too. I just trust Matt won't do anything reckless."

"Stop worrying," Erk spoke from beside me. So he followed, too. "He's not so young. He knows what and what not to do."

Erk was right. But when you're angry you sort of don't know what's right and not.

I almost shrieked—I found Matt in a tight match with one of the enemies. With another thief, as I could see by all the lockpicking tools hanging around his belt. And their fight was revolving all around a small, glimmering card of some sort.

But I fell silent, and I stood there and watched the artistry that was Matt in action. I've never really seen him fight it out with someone. I knew the fighting style of thieves—they tend to make unexpected attacks or just plain attack the critical areas of a person to have a swift victory. It was all speed to them. But this was what seemed like an equal match.

And then it happened—the card slid off from the enemy's hands and skittered across the old stone floors of the ruins. The two thieves exchanged a sharp glance, and in a snap both made a mad dash for the card. They ran towards it in a streak of blonde hair and purple hair and red cloak and purple cloak.

Wait!!

Purple hair, that scar on his face… it can't be… can it be? But what if it was…?

"LEGAULT!!!" I practically jumped at the enemy thief. I was asking for death if I was wrong, but c'mon, my memory's usually right.

He almost stumbled and lost his balance, but he managed to regain it. But I kept my arms and legs all around him. Matt got the item of their fight, but then turned to look at us curiously.

"My, my," the enemy thief said, "I must be so popular that little girls are jumping at me." Aha! So he _was_ Legault! "Sorry, little girl, but we're sort of in the middle of a fight. Go off to where you're supposed to be."

Ugh. He didn't even turn around to look at me. I pulled on his hair. "Don't you recognize me?!" And then I got off him.

He turned around, and pulled my hand from his long purple hair. He blinked at me, and said, "No." And he started going off again. I saw Matt tense up and take a fighting stance again.

I stomped my heel on the ground and said, "Kumi! You know, Anko's friend? You used to go to the arena with her!"

Legault paused, and turned back at me. "You mean, Anko? The one that really hates wyvern knights?"

_The one that really hates wyvern knights_. Great, I'm telling Anko that she's so notorious for her taunting the wyvern knights in the arena. "Yes, that's her," I said. "And she says that she's still mad at you for taking her share of the gold."

It was a year or so ago—Anko dragged me to the arena in our area and they were doing team matches. She got paired off to Legault, and they did quite well. Really well, in fact. They had a winning streak, and when they decided to stop, Legault vanished into thin air with all of their money. They were supposed to split it, and Anko was so annoyed that she vowed she was going to find that Legault and bury him in the ground. It was a one-time meeting, but I never forgot Legault's face because of that.

"Ah, that," he spoke with a grin on. "Tell her the gold went to good use. Now, Kimmy, I don't know why you're here in the middle of all this fighting, but it's not safe. Go hide somewhere, okay?"

"It's 'Kumi'!" I said. "And you--! You never told us you were with Fang!"

He blinked, and from the corner of my eyes Matt was looking confused. Legault said, "So, you know about the Fang, huh? Figures why you're here. So with me being in Black Fang, I guess that sort of makes you my enemy, huh?"

Right after he said that, Matt was behind him, holding his dagger to Legault's neck. "I don't trust him a bit," Matt told me.

Oddly, Legault didn't look panicked at all. He just stood there looking down at me with this grin that seems to know some ill secret about me that I myself was unaware of. Ugh, he reminded me of Anko. Very much…

"Okay, so I'm Fang now," Legault said. "But my original plan was to be former-Fang right after I get the last treasure. And this person behind me, whoever he is, just stole the damned Member Card from me right after I stole it from a Black Fang friend."

I blinked. So he wanted to quit the Fang. Maybe… no… I can't just… Matt was staring at me too, as if he expected me not to buy any words of Legault.

"The Fang's changed. It's not the group it once was," he continued. "I know almost nothing about the Fang now. So maybe if I live through this I'll just wander off, and maybe see your odd friend Anko again. Tell me, does she still throw daggers out of nowhere?"

"Yes," I answered. "She never changes."

Matt gave me a glare that was all, "What are you doing talking to this person?"

I ignored Matt's eyes. "If you've got nowhere to go, maybe you can join us," I told Legault. "We can use a former-Fang."

"Yeah. Sure. That'll work out. Just know that I know almost nothing of the Fang now. But if you want me, I guess tagging along won't be so bad."

I weighed the wisdom of this decision in my mind. He was Fang! But he's sort of a friend… A friend? After he tricked Anko like that? But we're so close to the final battle… we're so close. So it won't hurt having him along even if he ends up a treacherous wreck.

"Uhm… now that it's all worked out, maybe the blondie behind me can release me, huh? This isn't a very comfortable position…"

Matt stared at me as if he hated me and as if I just brought us all doom, but he let go of Legault. "We should give word to the leaders," I told Legault. "Follow us."

"Yeah, sure."

Before we could walk off to the general direction of Lyn and the rendezvous point, Matt took my side and whispered, "The moment he does something suspicious, he's going to find himself with my dagger run through him."

"Please don't do that, Matt."

"You only accepted him because you can't fathom having to give orders to kill someone who you know even only in the slightest."

…Matt was sort of right. If I knew Legault died, by our group, by my orders, I wouldn't be able to sleep. It would haunt me. And I glanced at Legault and wondered: How can he so easily turn on his former friends?

I ran into the scene by the throne to find the three lords together… with Marquess Laus dead on the floor below them. A marquess… dead by my campaign. I just wrote myself down in history today, I think. I didn't know if I should be glad of it or not.

"He was mad," I heard Lyn say.

"Consumed by his own lust... Pitiful fool," Lord Hector added.

While the two didn't seem bothered that they just changed the history of one of the biggest regions in Lycia, Lord Eliwood was different. His eyes were cast on the body by their feet, and I almost wondered if he felt bad for the marquess.

Lord Hector must have noticed it, too. "C'mon, Eliwood!" He gave Lord Eliwood a slight nudge on the shoulder. "This is no time for sentiment."

"Your father needs you!" Lyn reminded him.

And then Lord Eliwood just gave a nod. "...Let's go!"

We hurriedly walked into the old ruins, massive beyond belief, most especially in comparison to me. The place was soo cold that it reminded me so much of death… as if someone died… argh! No! It's no time to think of that! This is where everything ends! We're finding Lord Elbert, and everything ends here!

"Do you know where he's being kept?" I turned to Legault, who followed me closely.

He gave a shrug. "Nah. Not me. I haven't been staying long here in this place. I don't know anything… I told you."

I sighed. And here I still couldn't figure if the purple-clad thief was lying or not.

The three lords ran about the ruins, screaming and screaming for Eliwood's father. I ran to Lord Hector's side. He just slammed close a door when he found that no one was there. He slammed it so hard that some rubble fell onto our heads.

"Careful, my lord," I told him.

He almost backed away out of some surprise. I didn't know why, but then he said, "I think you just called me 'my lord'. Are you not eating right or is Matthew and Oswin rubbing onto you?"

I sighed. I didn't know HOW that entered his mind as of the moment. "We HAVE to find Lord Elbert, Lord Hector!"

His brows knotted again in some tension. He knew we had to do that. "I know, Kumi. I hope he's here, and if he is, I hope we're not too late."

We continued searching, and eventually entered a room with a massive stairs leading to… something above. I couldn't make it out much in the darkness, but there seemed to be a huge… door… atop the stairs. The ruins were so massive, and dim, that I couldn't see what was beyond.

We started making our way up the steps, when a faint whisper of Lord Eliwood's name was heard. It broke the eerie silence, and I almost jumped up in both fear and surprise. But I found a look of relief on Lord Eliwood's face.

"Father!" he cried out. And he ran up the stairs some more. We followed closely.

And there, as we ascended the stairs, was Lord Elbert. I knew it was him. He looked a lot like Lord Eliwood, red-brown hair and all. He was tired and dirty—his robes were darkened by dirt and torn at some parts, and he was scratched up a little, but that was it. I thanked the luck goddess—whoever she was—a little. At least the lord wasn't bleeding, or dying.

"Father!" Lord Eliwood ran to his father, immediately taking him in an embrace. They ended up on sitting in the steps, and Lord Eliwood took time to examine the lord of Pherae. "You... You're all right..."

Lord Hector, Lyn, and I gathered around the two of them. Lord Elbert looked at his son as if he couldn't believe what he were seeing. "Eliwood..." he spoke, in almost a whisper. But then all of a sudden the dreamy look in his eyes was replaced by… shock. Or fear. "Wait! For-Forget me!" he said. We didn't understand what he meant. "Take that girl and flee!"

He raised an arm to point at someone in the background… and we turned our heads to find that he was pointing to Ninian, who was standing there a distance from Sain and Kent. I didn't understand what Lord Elbert meant! What was it with Ninian?

I expected Ninian to react, but she stood there, much too still for my liking. There was a far-off look in her eyes, and…

"That girl..." Lord Elbert said, "She's the key to the Dragon's Gate. Hurry! Go, before Nergal notices you!"

The amount of authority and fear in Lord Elbert's voice snapped us to action. Lord Eliwood ran to Ninian's side "Ninian!" He shook her and shook her more than gently, but Ninian had no reaction. Her gaze didn't falter; she seemed caught in another world. "This way! We must flee!" Lord Eliwood was almost shouting.

But Ninian didn't move a bit.

"Something's wrong with her... Yet we've not time to hesitate!" Lyn said, and she ran to the others and began giving instructions to leave the place.

"Eliwood! I've got your father!" Lord Hector shouted, as he took Lord Elbert's side and helped him get up. "You take Ninian!"

"I understand!"

Lord Hector started to gently get Lord Elbert onto his feet. While he was not injured, he seemed too tired to move. And he got his message so clearly to us—we had to get out of the place as soon as possible. "Lord Elbert! I'm going to move you a little. Be strong," Lord Hector said.

I almost helped Lord Hector with the marquess, but he told me off with a glance. But he was having a hard time! Lord Hector was indeed strong, but the others were already off, and he seemed to be dragging quite a load…

"Hector! Eliwood!" Lyn called. The others were on the move, and we were behind. Lord Eliwood wasn't making much progress, too.

Lord Hector moved on, and I followed, running down the stairs more than quickly. And then it just had to happen. I somehow missed a step, screamed, and stumbled and fell. I held out my hand against the rough stone flooring in time to prevent myself from completely rolling down the steps.

"Kumi! Are you alright?!" Lord Hector paused and looked back at me.

"I-I'm fine!" I said. "Just go ahead already! The marquess must be saved!"

And he went on. My arms and my hands were scraped from the rough stones, and I fell badly on my knees. Great. That was perfect time to be clumsy. But I had to get up again. I had to make a run for it, too! I had too—

I almost got up, but halfway, I stopped. I looked down to my knee—that certain, overused, bruised-once-or-twice-too-badly one. It hurt. So, so much. Gods, I was too young to have hurting joints! But then I looked closer and found that it was actually bleeding. Not just bleeding like a scratch would bleed. It was bleeding a LOT.

I almost cursed, but I stopped myself. That might just bring more bad luck. I tried to ignore it and ran down a few more steps, but then I just had to stop. It hurt!

"Eliwood! Hector!! Hurry! This way!!" Lyn kept shouting and shouting. I was so far behind that she even forgot that I was still there. Why did that stairs have to be insanely long?!

Lord Hector looked back to me, and I imagined that he groaned. He started going off with Lord Elbert again, but I heard him call out, "Matthew!!"

Blood was dripping down my leg so freely. I never liked blood, most especially if it was mine. I felt like crying, but there was no point in it. I tried to get up again. I couldn't do it.

I heard light footsteps run up the stairs, towards me. I expected Matt, but it wasn't him. Instead it was Legault. He eyed my wound, and tried not to look shocked. He just immediately bent down, took off the strip of purple cloth that kept his hair from his face, and hastily tied my knee with it. "Think you can run?"

"I don't think so."

He said nothing. He just crouched down, his back facing me. "Get on my back," he said.

"…What?" He was a thief. He wasn't exactly Lord Hector or Oswin.

"Just get on. Don't worry—you're so small I'd think some paperweight stone would be much heavier."

I ignored the comment and just go on his back, and he carried me and began to go down the steps again. True, he wasn't as big as Oswin or Lord Hector, but I wasn't that much of a weight, either.

"Thanks, Legault."

"No need for that. Anko would hate me more if she finds out I let something happen to you."

We continued down the steps, and met Matt on the way. He sharply raised a brow at us, and then we just continued running down. The steps were humongous, and long, as if the stairway was made for… dragons, and not humans. The others were already gone, and only Lord Hector with Lord Elbert and Lord Eliwood with Ninian remained with us. Lyn and the exit to that insanely long stairs was finally in view when---

Lyn screamed. And in the blink of an eye there was a man beside him, with tanned skin and blood red daggers in his hands, a clear threat to us.

"..... You will not pass here," the man said.

"W-When did you?" Lyn almost asked, puzzled. But then she just decided to grab the hilt of her sword—but was stopped by Lord Elbert.

"You must not fight that man!!" the marquess screamed. "That man... is dangerous! You cannot defeat him on your own!"

I turned to Matt. He was still, but there was some look of mixed shock and confusion in his eyes as he stared at that man.

"That's Jaffar," Legault said, somewhat casually. I leaned in closer to him to hear better. "Top assassin of Black Fang, second only to Lloyd and Linus. We're in deep trouble."

I caught Matt cast a puzzled glance at Legault, as if he wanted to ask more, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Father, there's no time," Lord Eliwood told Lord Elbert. "This danger must be faced."

"...Be a good boy, and listen to your father, young master Eliwood."

I knew that voice, and in a magical flash, Ephidel was there, in front of Lord Eliwood. "Ephidel!!!" Lord Eliwood exclaimed in shock. He gripped Ninian's wrist tighter.

"Even among the Black Fang, this man is feared for his skill... You are no match for him, not even as a group," Ephidel said, after a glance at Jaffar. He turned to the Black Fang assassin again. "...You've done well, Jaffar. That is all. Return to Bern and begin your next assignment."

Jaffar said nothing. He gave a slight nod, and was gone in an instant. I couldn't figure how that happened, but he was just gone with a blink, as if he teleported.

Ephidel turned to us again. "Hear my word! I have an invitation from my master. In honor of your hard-fought arrival, he's prepared a special show for you."

…Special show?

"Stop it!" Lord Elbert screamed. "You cannot release the dragons!!!"

"Father? What's all this about?" Lord Eliwood was confused. And so were all of us. Did Lord Elbert just say… dragons?!

"...You will know shortly," Ephidel said, "At the expense of your father's life!"

And then it came—I saw some dark aura that engulfed Lord Elbert, making him slunk to the ground, falling from Lord Hector's side. Lord Elbert groaned and moaned in pain of the… magic, and Lord Hector was too stunned to say anything. He actually froze.

"Father!" Lord Eliwood ran to Lord Elbert. "What's wrong? Father!"

"Lord Elbert! Hold on!" Lord Hector held onto Lord Elbert's arm to support him, but the marquess continued crying out in pain. I blinked, and saw that the dark shadow that I swear I saw surround Lord Elbert was gone. Maybe my mind was playing tricks, but I swore it was magic. I couldn't see it now, and Lord Elbert seemed groaning for no reason at all, but I knew—I knew that someone hit him with magic.

While Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector were busy trying to help Lord Elbert, and Legault and Matt and I were frozen there, I found Ninian walking up the steps…

"Huh? ...Ninian?" Lord Eliwood said when Ninian ever passed by them. She walked on as if she didn't hear him. "Ninian!" I called out. But she didn't stop. She walked on, and on, with that far-off look in her eyes. Her lips were moving, as if whispering something…

Lord Elbert shrieked in pain. "Gahaaa!"

"Father!!!"

And then a coarse, sinister voice rang out all of our voices. "Now, Ninian... at last," it said. "Open the Dragon's Gate."

Legault went up a couple more steps—and we saw what was there on top, at the end of the long stairway. There was a humongous door—gate—of some sort, which emitted blinding light, as if it connected this world to another. And there was a man standing there, in thick, dark robes, with a turban tied up his head, covering one of his eyes…

I knew just by looking at him that he was the one we had to deal with.

"Nergal," Legault whispered. So that man was Nergal, then. Legault then pulled me higher up his back, and I wrapped my arms around him tighter. Matt's mouth was hanging open in disbelief at the sight.

Ninian reached the top of the stairs, and stopped before that Nergal person. She was still whispering things that we couldn't hear, and the Nergal man was talking to her. But Ninian… she was not herself. She seemed possessed by something, some force…

The light from the gate became brighter. And then the earth shook and rumbled hard. So hard Legault knelt to the floor, and I held on tighter to him and closed my eyes. I felt small pieces of rubble and stone fall onto us, on my head. "Whoa! What's... What's this rumbling!?" I heard Lord Hector say in the background. "I can barely keep my feet!" Lyn added.

Shrieks of something definitely not human filled the air. I opened my eyes and tried to see though the blinding glare of the gate…portal… and then… I saw it.

It couldn't be. It wasn't… I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the vision didn't change.

"Tell me I'm dreaming," Legault said, surprised. I wished someone would tell me I was dreaming, too. Matt was frozen still.

There was a dragon in front of us, emerging from the portal, its skin a fiery red, smoke coming out of its nostrils and its mouth as it shrieked in the air again. Gods, it was a dragon! It was humongous, and it really did breathe fire! The books have been accurate. But I never imagined that they were this frightening. I was trembling, and I knew it.

Nergal's wicked laughter followed, and I heard it amidst the noise the dragon was causing. "Yes!" he said, "Use all your strength! Squeeze every drop from your body! You will call dragons!"

And I realized he was talking to Ninian. Ninian… was the one calling the dragon?

Half the dragon was still in the portal, and we were still frozen there.

"…Run," Matt finally said. "We've got to run. We're too near the thing. It's gonna eat us alive first thing after it successfully gets here."

Legault nodded. But I was still gaping at the dragon. I might be facing my death.

"... I will not allow this!!" screamed someone. I knew that voice… it was…

"Nils!" Lyn screamed, and we turned to the bottom of the stairway to find Nils there. Nils! Nils!

"Ninian!" he screamed, as he took a few steps up the stairs, "Come to your senses! You must not do what they want!"

Ninian blinked, and actually turned around to face Nils. The light from the gate flickered and dimmed, and the dragon shrieked, but as if someone was killing it.

"Nils? Not now!" Nergal groaned. "...Ephidel! Stop him!!"

"Desist, Nils!" Ephidel firmly grabbed Nils by the shoulder. "The power... It might run wild!!"

Upon hearing that, Matt immediately tapped Legault on the shoulder. "I'll take over for you. We're running." And Legault released his grip on me.

"Ninian!!" Nils screamed, his scream almost drowned out by the screams of the dragon.

Ninian slowly went towards her brother, and seemed as if she just regained consciousness. "..... ...Nils?"

The dragon continued shrieking and shrieking as if it were going mad. "Here! Hurry!! The dragon is crumbling. Everyone flee!!" Nils screamed.

Matt hurriedly carried me on his arms, and I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as he ran down the stairs. We had to get good distance away from the dragon! Legault grabbed Ninian and managed to drag her away.

Matt ran, and ran, and ran—and I remembered closing my eyes, and opening them to see the dragon breathing fire, burning everything around it.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs safely, we watched Ephidel go up in flames.

"...Something...happened," Lord Hector said, clearly shocked. He was still holding onto Lord Elbert. Lyn was holding Nil's hand. Ninian was at Lord Eliwood's side. Legault pulled his long hair away from his eyes with a hand. I was still in Matt's arms.

When we saw the flame subside and the light from the portal diminish, Lord Eliwood asked, "Is it... gone?"

Nothing remained. Nothing was even left of Ephidel but ashes.

"It's finished," I said.

But right after I said that, Nergal warped in the middle of our group!

"Nils, you whelp!" he screamed, dangerously drawing towards Nils. Lyn hid him behind her. "If not for your interference......Come! Both of you!" He turned to Ninian, too!

"No!" Ninian said, hiding behind Lord Eliwood.

"Never! We will not follow you!!" Nils said.

Nergal was about to say something… but the unexpected happened.

There was a small knife stuck into Nergal's side, by his stomach… from the hand of Lord Elbert. Lord Elbert, who seemed too weak to do it. But he managed to.

Nergal's eyes widened in shock, as he touched the blood seeping though his wound. "What!? ...Impossible... Not... by your hand..."

"...I told you. I will...oppose... you always....."

Nergal clutched his side, and pulled off the knife, wincing as he did it. He threw the item to the floor, and again, warped away.

Lord Elbert fell to the ground.

"Father!!"

"...Eliwood," he said, his tone grave, "Be prepared. He will return..."

"All right," Lord Eliwood said, tears in forming in his eyes. "But for now... Let's leave this island... Let's go home."

"No, my son... I'm done here. You, Eliwood... You must finish this."

I couldn't believe what he was saying.

"Don't say that!" Lord Eliwood said, tightly gripping his father's hand. "Mother is waiting in Pherae..." His voice was breaking and trembling. "She's waiting for you, Father!"

"Ah... Eleanora..." the marquess recalled with a weak smile. "She will be cross with me. Eliwood... Your mother... I'm sorry... Tell her... I'm... sorry..."

And he closed his eyes, and his head fell back, and his hand slid from Lord Eliwood's.

Lord Elbert was dead.

Lord Eliwood's tears came. "No... Please, not now... Not after all we've done to find you again... Father... Please... Open your eyes..... Faaatherrrrrrrr!!!!"

_I thought everything ends here. It seemed things were only beginning._

**End of Chapter.**

Author's Endnote:

Fire Emblem MewMew: Sorry, I didn't have the inspiration to write the other X chapter. Basically because so little involving the whole group happens in it. o___O Forgive me, I hope this chapter makes up for it.

DarkBlaziken: I guess the whole tactician bonus (I have same affinity with him) does a lot to me. I also have the same affinity with Raven and Jaffar, and so their level-ups own. Anyway, at level 13 Assassin (as of now) my Matt has 53-55 HP, but that's with two HP up items. I've always had problems with him evading, though. Thank goodness he has that HP to soak up damage. But now I DID notice that in comparison to Jaffar (or even Legault of my previous games) he Silences a LOT more. It's just that my Legault just ends up being less of a bother, as I think he's easier to keep alive. All in all, Matt and Legault are pretty much a toss-up. Just go for who you like better. And oddly, though I want to marry Matt, I promote Legault more often because he's stellar with the affinity bonus. And, uhm, peace! XD

I think the whole who-the-tactician-ends-up-with is fun, but with the prospects among Matt and Guy and Erk (who are my fave charas) I think there's just some good friendships there. Obviously Kumi likes Matty, and obviously Erk likes Kumi, but Guy is sort of off… he seems to me just a real close friend to Kumi. But a GuyxTactician would be really cute too, right? Uhm, but maybe we should look for other fics to really see a GuyxTact romance.

Terran: Your last review = the best review I've ever received so far. And I don't mean it sarcastically! :D

Angie: Whoops. Sorry! (kneels) Everyone should still thank you for scripting for me!

And for the others who gave reviews, thankies.

Well, the last chapter was really WEIRD. As Angie and everyone else said, I do remember Aion bragging "In crowded spaces like this, my Thunder magic devastates!" And then I wondered, "does he have Bolting?" And my brother and I looked at his stats and items, and he had NO Bolting, only Thunder. I ended up laughing because I was like, "so that's what he meant by _thunder_!" But maybe this is just on my game, and I don't remember what mode.

On an off-note, I've yet to meet a person named Matthew who was not charming. O__O

Anko + Legault = pure trouble. Maybe I should pair them in the FE6 fic.

As for this chapter, I'm sorry it's sort of crappy. (WHAT?! It's VERY crappy!) It's done in the unholy hours of the day. Time check: 3:55 AM. Wow. Sorry it's also very late! Also, a belated Christmas to all! And New Year! Let's all wish I get to finish this story, okay?

Btw… I just want to tell this to anyone. I'm sort of stuck in writing because lately my mind feels frozen due to the weather, and I can't think up battle scenes anymore. I struggle with them, and they give me a hard time. Uuuggghh. Just me.

UPDATE: I've been banned from the laptop because I spilled noodles all over it and it almost didn't work. It didn't work for two days, but then fortunately it worked again. But mom banned me from it, and our PC's wrecked. So all my works are on hold for now. Boohoo.

Review!


	27. Chapter 27

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TWENTY : NEW RESOLVE

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It hurts!"

"Be still, be still!"

Matt and Guy were all hands on me, pinning me to the floor as I resisted and resisted. "Get your bloody hands off me!"

I screamed and screamed, and I hope their ears didn't bleed out of all the profanities that ran from my mouth. I caught Matt wince though, as if he expected me to manner myself better than that. I couldn't help it. All the bad words I ever heard in my life (usually from Anko's mouth) came back to mind, and I screamed and screamed.

Legault peered down at me, with an impatient look in his face. He was holding a needle in one hand, and the sight of it made me shudder. "Don't make such a fuss. Do you want me to remind you what's at stake here?"

He didn't have to remind me. I shook my head. I knew he had to stitch my wound close. By awesome luck Serra and Priscilla have exhausted their staves, and vulneraries and elixirs would only stop the bleeding and dry up the wound. These guys insisted that the wound should be stitched close. Mainly to prevent infection.

"But what if the needle would be the cause of infection?!" I asked.

"Don't be ridiculous. It's been soaked in a killer solution of hot water and _calamansi," _Legault said.

"I don't even know what _calamansi _is!"

He sighed again, and said, "Look, if your wound gets really infected, your entire leg would have to be chopped off."

I knew. Agh, I hated how I had to know. But I didn't want it! I don't want to get stitches!!

The tent flap opened, and Wil came in, looking exhausted. Then he said, "Sain managed to find a healing staff! Priscilla said it still works! She's coming here too help!"

…Thank goodness. Looks like my luck hasn't completely run out yet.

When my knee was healed and working as good as new, I found Sain, and remembered I had to thank him for saving me from the wrath of the needle. I wonder where he found the staff, though.

"Oh, that?" He looked thoughtful. "Well, you see… when we were at the ruins, fighting… I slipped down some hole or loose plank over a hole, and then ended up in a shop! There was a most beautiful woman there, too, and she talked to me! And then…"

He went on and on about some red-haired woman. I didn't know whether to believe him or not, but at least he found a staff.

We sailed back to Badon, Lord Eliwood locking himself up in a room with Lord Elbert's body, all the while holding his hand as if he wished it would raise him from death. We left him alone. Having to see him like that—it was so, so sad…

I was such a failure. It's all my fault. We had so wanted to rescue Lord Elbert. He was our driving force to fighting on, and with him gone… I feel as if we lost. We all feel as if we lost. Even Bartre and Serra were not their noisy selves. They understood what was going on.

Matt was making himself scarce. I don't know why, but it seems he's changed. Maybe the thought of death, and Leila's death, was having that effect on him. I gave him his space. I decided that since Leila's death, he didn't have time to mourn. He didn't have time to cry, or dwell on things. But was he ironic—sometimes he does everything he could do in the ship all day—cooking, washing the dishes, mopping the floors, cleaning up after Guy… everything, as if he wanted to rid his mind of thoughts by being busy. On other days we wouldn't find him, as if he's locked up in some hole taking time for himself.

One time, he told me, "I think I found Leila's killer."

I thought he was mad. He said that with such a grave face, and I didn't exactly know how to respond. "H-How?" He didn't mean Legault now, did he? The latter thief decided to tag along with us, and while he was Fang, I didn't think he'd kill Leila and hide it from Matt.

"I don't know." And then he left.

Even the pirates weren't so noisy. The silence could have made us pass as a ghost ship, only ghost ships creaked more. I stared out the deck, at the sea. The chill in the air eerily reminded me of death.

"I should write to Sir Alecto," I whispered to the air.

The floor creaked and I knew someone was approaching. I glanced at my side, and found Erk, who stared out the sea as I did.

"Your mentor?" he asked. Ah, so he heard me.

I nodded. "He's more than a mentor. He's also my father. I think he would understand what I feel best."

There was silence. I knew Sir Alecto would understand best. He was a tactician, too. He knew the feeling of loss and failure, and how it is when things didn't go your way. And he was my father. Not my blood father, but my father the same. Lord Eliwood losing his father made me want to see Sir Alecto more and hold him tight.

"How's your father, Erk?" I asked, out of the blue.

He shrugged, his mage's robes whipping in the air. "I don't know."

I put on a puzzled expression.

"I don't know," he said again. "I don't remember. My mentor… he is the closest person that could be my father. Not my blood father, but my father the same."

Aahh… "Then we're just the same." And it was always relieving to know that you weren't alone.

I cried every night in that ship. It became some sort of ritual. I evaded the fact that I was a failure all day, but at night it haunted me. It haunted me so much. One time, Lyn came over and hugged me and slept beside me. While she was not that old, I remembered what I remembered of my mother. I never quite had a mother, too. She died before I could recall much.

That night, when the thoughts of how awful I was haven't quite sinked in on me yet, I heard a knock on the door. I got up and opened it. It was Legault.

"What is it?"

"I got this little tear on my cloak that seems to need stitching," he said as he turned around a little and tugged on his dark cloak. "Can you help me with it?"

I almost rolled my eyes. "You can stitch wounds but not your own cloak?" And he just walked in on me when I was just about to cry. "Can you please get to the point?" I guessed he didn't come just to tease me.

He looked thoughtful, and trailed to the other bed in the room. And then he just said, "I'm rooming with you."

"W-What?" I shared that room with Lyn and Florina.

"I can't room anywhere near that blond thief. When I roomed with the other men, they gave me glares, too. And you know I can't go with the girls. I actually tried, but the pink-haired cleric kept talking my head off, saying I was Black Fang and totally evil and ruthless and that I killed… who was that? Lillia?"

"Leila," I corrected.

"Right," he said. "And I didn't, frankly. I heard he was the blonde's girlfriend. So that's why he hates me, huh?"

"You're Former Fang. It's normal they don't like you at first," I said, trying to be calm and all when all I wanted to do was wallow in self-blame. "I share this room with Lyn and Florina."

"They moved in with the other vacant room, with that older peg knight… Fiora? You're rooming alone, but I'm here. And I actually asked Lord Hector about this, and he was all, 'You can room with Kumi. She'll need someone to keep herself from wallowing in self-blame'."

Argh. Lord Hector knew me, alright.

"Leave me alone," I said, and whimpered, and turned back to my bed.

"I told Lord Hector," he continued, "that I wasn't gonna stop you from crying your heart out. But too much of anything is just bad, you know. Sometimes the best thing to do is to accept the truth."

"You talk too much," I said. "I shouldn't have accepted you here." If it weren't for Anko, and arenas, and sentimentality…

"I don't think so," he said, as he made himself comfortable on one of the beds. "I don't talk as much as that cleric, do I? Just saying what I think you should be thinking. Blaming yourself isn't gonna help any."

When I didn't say anything, he gave up and said, "Alright, I'll shut up."

I managed a small laugh when his words rang familiar to me. It was exactly what Anko would say, I thought. It made me miss her all the more.

"Now, what are you laughing about?" Legault asked me. When I explained my comparison, he said, "That woman's your best friend? You two make for an odd pairing." Odd indeed. She and I were very much different, but she never failed to make me laugh. I wished she were here this moment…

"Are you sure you're not some long-lost brother of hers or anything?" I asked Legault, letting cheery emotions take me for the meantime. "Purple hair and creepy grin and mischievous eyes and all that?"

"Sorry, but I do remember having parents and none of them had other children apart from those I know. Unless they fooled around, but I highly doubt that. She and I are just similar in ways, and maybe that's destiny."

That did it. I laughed out loud. "Destiny!" I cried into the air, while choking on my laughter. Somehow the idea of pairing Legault with my best friend just seems SO funny. I can imagine Sir Alecto's disapproval and how the two would bicker and all. "Oh, Legault, stop—making—haha!—me laugh!"

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I don't even mean it the way you took it. I just mean you found me and all that to be her temporary replacement, don't you think so?"

I wiped the tears that laughter brought about, and said, "Oh, I imagine you'd marry her—"

"Not in a million years," he snapped. I could imagine Anko here making the exact statement. "Besides, I'd rather see her married to some wyvern knight, to turn her disgust to the wyvern knights against her."

I laughed again. Gods, this man is mad.

"But you should stop mentioning her to me an awful lot, you know," he said. When I asked him why, he answered, "Miles away, she might feel us talking about her and she might remember me and all I did to her, and she might just embark on a quest for my blood. I went to Valor to run from her, and I can't believe I'm heading back to the mainland to possibly see her again."

Those two just made me laugh all the time. For the first time in a while I had peaceful sleep, temporarily forgetting sad thoughts of the recent events.

The ship was starting to cheer up a little, though overall it still retained a solemn mood. Much of the mood lifters came from the food—Rebecca and Lowen deserve much praise for what they're able to make with our limited stocks. Then there was Sain. There was nothing that could stop that man. Though he simmered down a little, not doing things that would cause major ruckus, for once… he was the one who started and kept conversations and actually made the ship a step and step away from being a ghost ship. He may be reckless in the battlefield, but he's actually a gem in other ways.

While making the dinner for the night, I was with Fiora, who was peeling potatoes. And then she suddenly blurted out, "I'm sorry…"

I gave her a puzzled look.

"I guess ever since I've come here, bad things have been happening. I heard about the death of that woman, and Lord Eliwood's father… oh…"

I turned back to my potatoes, and told her, "You don't have anything to do with those things."

"It seems," she said, looking up to the air as if thinking something deep, "that awful things like trailing after me."

"You can't prove that." But I felt the same. It seems awful luck keeps following me, and that goddess statue had better start proving itself.

"I just lost my entire brigade," she suddenly said, and I was surprised. "We were sent here to investigate, and all of them died… except me."

Bad things do keep happening to our group.

"Then," I said, "you have a reason to fight." That and to stop some mad man by the name of Nergal.

"I guess I do."

Lord Hector knocked at my room door one night to check on me. He caught me laughing to some more of Legault's words and soon Legault excused himself to leave me and the lord to talk.

"Though I don't trust him a bit yet, at least he can make you laugh," Lord Hector said.

"He reminds me of someone from home."

"Ah," Lord Hector said. "That's good. At least you're not in tears anymore. You just be careful—it's not safe to like that kind of man."

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, he has to be at least twenty-eight. And since you have Matthew, I bet you know how old I am, Lord Hector.

After a silence, I asked, "How's Lord Eliwood?"

"Still locked up," he answered. "It's best we leave him to mourn. I've talked to him, and he's eating well, so we don't have to worry. He's still working on a letter to his mother. Marcus sent messages to Pherae, so Pherae would have gotten the news when we set foot on land."

"I see."

"What about you? What are you gonna do?"

I gave him a puzzled look. He shrugged. "You know… when we get to Badon."

I thought for a while. "…Take Raven to the arena to replenish the funds."

"No, I don't mean that! I mean… you can leave, you know. You're seeing things too much for your age. Dragons, mad sorcerers, deaths… "

"I don't think I can even if I wanted to," I said. "What tactician would leave after being through all these things?"

"You might miss your family a lot."

"That's part of the business."

He just gave a nod. And then, "If you want to… yes, we'll have messengers send letters to your home. You should write, and give it to Oswin. We can let one of the messengers deliver it."

I almost got up and hugged Lord Hector.

Lord Hector gave a shocking statement that night to the group, who was all assembled in the dining area. It was all summed up in three words: "Anyone can leave."

I was then sitting between Wil and Rebecca, quelling one of their arguments. But then Lord Hector said that, and a wave of whispers and murmurs came to the crowd. "Anyone can leave," he said again. Oswin, in Lord Hector's background, gave a nod. "When we get to land, those who want to leave can do so."

Looks were thrown around. I caught Raven look at Lucius and then Priscilla, Rebecca to Wil and Dart, Canas to his book he was too absorbed in it. "You've seen what we're against," Lord Hector continued. "We can't just leave Nergal alone now, and we have to continue pursuing him. We will. But those who have no obligation to stay with this group may leave if they wish."

"My lord, you can't just go to Ostia and request forces from your lord brother to wage war on Nergal because he brought dragons to life," Erk said. "People won't believe until they see dragons for themselves. People won't help so easily, and you can't take down that Nergal person with little numbers. So why are you making us go away?"

"I'm not," Lord Hector clarified. "I wish all of you would stay. But I'm just making it clear that you all have your own choice to leave if you want to. This isn't going to be some normal campaign anymore. Anyone who doesn't want to be involved can go."

And then he left us to discuss it among ourselves, and think about it.

There were a number of people who went with us only for their reasons, not because they are obligated by oaths and such. There was Rebecca, Dart, Fiora, Canas, Raven, Lucius, Erk, Priscilla, Legault, Guy… and while Dorcas and Bartre were being paid to do this, they weren't knights of Pherae or anything. There was Merlinus, too. He was some civilian, not at all to be involved in such things. I don't even know why he keeps serving our ragtag group.

The days dragged on at sea. Funny, it just crossed me that when you were at sea, you sometimes lose your sense of time. All we do is eat, talk, sleep—and repeat again. Well, there was a rare time that Nils played for us and entertained us all. The view was nothing but endless blue sea, and sometimes I wonder if we were lost. But Captain Fargus assured that we would be in Badon all in due time.

And eventually, we reached Badon.

"Thank you for all the help," Lord Eliwood told Fargus. Lord Eliwood was a little pale and he seemed stressed still, but he tried not to show it. A couple of pirates helped unload our things, one of them Lord Elbert's body, neatly wrapped in white cloth. Soon some Pherean escorts would come for the body, to bury it in Pherae. Just thinking about it makes me sad…

"Ah, don't mention it," Captain Fargus told us. "I hope our group can help some more, against mad sorcerer and dragons and all, but we're not quite sure what we can do. But if you ever need another ride across the seas, you know who to look for!"

After a few moments, it was my turn to face Captain Fargus with Dart around. "Are you going to stay?" I asked Dart.

"Aw, I don't know," he said.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Captain Fargus told him. "You are going with those people, and I won't accept you back into Fargus'pirates unless you do! Lending you is the least our group can do to aid against the rise of those dragons!"

"Guess so," Dart said. "Kumi, there really was a Dragon, wasn't there?"

Not everyone saw the Dragon in Valor since some of them were outside, readying things and such. But everyone heard it and felt it. "You didn't see it, but you know it was there, right? Everyone heard it."

"I know. I just still can't believe what's happening and all."

Neither can I.

Night fell quickly, and almost everyone fell to sleep, and we occupied one of the town inns again. We didn't do much at the ship, but the travel itself was tiring. There was nothing better than falling to a warm bed and feeling solid ground underneath you. Nothing rocked and waved and all. Guy especially appreciates this. When we stepped on land I actually thought he was going to kiss the ground.

Though some immediately claimed rest, others wandered town still, and there were a few guys who occupied the inn's taproom and sat with all the other customers. We've been so far away from other people for so long.

Lyn, Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and Nils and Ninian I last saw talking together in one of the rooms. I didn't feel like joining in, since the room was pretty crowded enough.

But I was on the kitchen. I just finished writing a letter to Sir Alecto and Anko and Mark. So I was bored, bored bored. And there wasn't any hard bread on the table to show it.

I wonder… what is death like? I sure know the feeling it leaves others—emptiness, sadness, and all that… but what was it to die? They say it's just like sleeping, losing conscious thought… forever. No matter how scary that sounded, there was another side of it. It also meant no more worries, no more depression, no more trials. So I was not scared of death. Just scared of my friends dying.

Lord Hector said, "Anyone can leave". After this night, I didn't know who was going to stay or not. Will I stay, too? That's a ridiculous question—of course I'll stay. I'm the tactician. I have to.

I fell asleep there on the table without knowing it.

"KUMI! Kumi, wake up!!"

"Anko, I'm not getting up unless the structure's on fire. If you've got a new trinket, go show Nerisa…"

"Kumi!" It started to sound like Guy's voice. "There are enemies! Black Fang! They're attacking Badon! I mean, at least this part of Badon! You've got to get up!"

I jolted awake, and blinked my eyes. Kitchen. Inn. Badon. Elibe. Yes, I was there. For a second I thought I was in Bern, in my room. Then I instinctively held a hand to my cheek. Ugh. Tablemarks. The wood of the table patterned itself on my skin.

"How many?" I asked.

"Lots! Sir Oswin assembled some of the others who are available! We have to come out before those Fang decide to take it out on the town!"

"Okay," I said, "Okay. Is there anything of note that I should know about the enemy?"

"They have wyvern riders!"

I blinked, and almost gasped. "That can't be! That would have to mean Bern's involved in this!"

"I don't know, but all I'm sure of is that there _are_ wyverns!"

I took a deep breath. What the heck are wyverns doing in Badon?! I let the breath out. "Okay. Get back to everyone, and tell them I'll be there in a minute!"

I walked out of the inn to see a number of the group there being sorted out by Marcus and Oswin. There was Fiora, Kent, Wil, Rebecca, Guy, Serra… wait, is that all? Where were the rest? More importantly, where are the mages? Wait, it's awfully dark! Where are the thieves?

"I sent Lowen to call for any others scattered about, and to warn any wandering civilian," Sir Marcus told me. "Some of the others are resting, and none of them would budge. The enemy is hiding. They assume we're unaware. We only found out when someone spotted wyvern riders and became suspecting. So you should know that the enemy has wyverns with them, too."

"Darn it." They ambushed us. We were going to be greatly on the defensive. Such dirty tactics! And Lord Eliwood was still…

"Eliwood! What you need is rest…" I heard Lyn's voice, and I turned around to find the three lords talking together.

"No. We have to fight! Look there, some of them have already assembled, and Kumi's already waiting. Let's go!"

And the three of them went over to us.

"He's in shape to fight?" I asked Lord Hector as he passed me.

"I think so," he whispered. "Eliwood may appear weak sometimes, but he's definitely stubborn. If he says he fights, he will. He wants to. Let him."

In a while, Lowen arrived, lugging Sain with him. He didn't get anyone else. Matt and Legault eventually turned up as well. It seems they went on to spy on the enemies.

"Together?" I asked them.

"Don't think that that makes us friends," Matt said. "It was unplanned, purely coincidence."

And eventually, Erk came out of the inn, asking what the noise was. When I told him we were under attack, he just rubbed his eyes and said, "Wait up, let me get my tome." Ah, at least we finally had a mage!

And then when he came back, we were good to go. They started giving out the torches and Erk lit them up with some Fire magic. Matt handed me a very rough sketch of the town area, and where the enemies were.

"Do they really have wyvern riders?" I asked.

"Lots," Legault confirmed. "I say they're a pretty balanced group, too. There's a lot of them. I sure wish the others in our group would turn up real soon."

"I think we're fine," I said. And then I turned to the whole group, trying to explain the strategy.

"They've ambushed us," I told them. "They're just outside the walls, and some might even already be in Badon as we speak! And they've got wyvern riders, too! But there are ways we can go on about this! Firstly, we're going to be on the defensive until we thin out their numbers a bit. Wyvern riders are hard to fight for land-based fighters, so the arrows and magic can take them out—"

"Kumiko!" Sain called my attention. "The villagers said that they had ballistae around here!"

"Where?"

He came over and drew it on my map. There were two. Maybe we should divide into two groups…

"Rebecca!" The archer looked up to me. "Can you use ballistae?"

"I-I haven't tried…"

That wasn't good. I remembered Wil almost hitting Sain clear in the head the first time he used a ballista. But this was no time to worry. And besides, she'd be mostly hitting things in the air, not on the ground. "You'll learn when you get there," I told her.

"We'll have a main group to distract the enemies as Rebecca and Wil try to get to the ballistae before the enemy does," I continued. "Sain and Lowen, escort Rebecca! Kent and Fiora, stick with Wil! Fiora, watch out for archers, and don't even try to go head on with the wyverns! Their level of strength is so different from Pegasus knights! Everyone else in the main group! The front lines will have Lord Hector, Eliwood and Lyn, and Oswin and Marcus! Guy and Erk wil provide support! Serra, will stay behind. And…"

I glanced at Matt and Legault. So, which one? "And… Matt, lead the way for the group. Legault, stay behind." I don't think the others trusted Legault enough to be their eyes. And it'd be strange for Legault to be up there at front, facing his former comrades. Worse, he might meet an old pal, and decide to switch allegiances again. Ugh.

"Alright, that's pretty much it! Don't forget the torches!"

I was giving orders in the field, and Rebecca and Wil and their escorts have already set off to claim the ballista. We haven't fought any wyverns yet so far—Lord Hector and the front lines were dealing with the normal people. We pretty much stayed in place, but in a while I'll give the orders to advance a little to the arena.

But there were definitely wyverns. I could hear the shrieks even from afar, and swear I saw their shadows in the dim sky. The dark was one thing that made this battle hard. And the Black Fang, in their black cloaks, was so much harder to spot.

I turned around just after shouting, and then came face-to-face with Legault. I backed away.

He didn't look pleased. He folded his arms to himself and asked, "I bothered to help spy on the Fang, so why are you making me a backguard? There's nothing to do here but watch all of them fight and watch pink-haired cleric heal people up. There's nothing to steal, too! What's a thief to do?"

"W-Well… there might be enemies from behind…"

He took out his dagger and started twirling it through his fingers. "I sure hope so. I don't want it to be boring."

"When Matt's tired, you can—"

And then the complacent look on his face changed, just like that, and he was suddenly alert. "Shh… You were right. It seems there are enemies from behind."

I turned to the scene behind us, bathed in pitched black, and couldn't see _anything._

He looked back, too. "Yeah. There's definitely someone there. Get back. Go nearer to them. It'll be safer."

I did as he said, and as quickly as I did, a figure emerged from the shadows, clad in black cloak, and rushed at Legault. He was right.

"Lord Eliwood, are you—" I rushed to Lord Eliwood, who was taking a small rest, looking tired. I almost asked if I needed to call Serra, but then I just realized that Ninian was there, and she just finished something sort of a dance, and Lord Eliwood was watching her.

"N-Ninian!" I gasped. "What are you doing here?! This is the battlefield!"

Lord Eliwood was the one who answered me. "She begged me to let her help. I couldn't say no, Kumiko."

"But she can't—"

"Her dances are quite magical," Lord Eliwood said. "They're quite… rejuvenating."

"My dance has magical properties," Ninian explained.

"What?!" I didn't understand at all.

Lord Eliwood got up, and this time he didn't look tired at all. It was as if he was fresh and ready to go slicing up some bad guys again. "She'll explain later. Don't worry over this, Kumiko. I let her come. She's my responsibility. I'll watch over her, and she'll stay by my side."

"Kumiko," Ninian said, "I cannot fight, but... I can aid with my dance. I ask for your understanding and assistance."

"Well, if Lord Eliwood says so… just be careful!"

Wil checked the ballista for bolts, and counted five. "I could really use more, but it seems there are enough!" He looked over his shoulder to tell Kent and Fiora.

But then the cries of the wyverns came nearer, and all of them turned to the skies. The wyvern riders are attacking. Their shadows were drawing nearer.

"They're coming," Fiora said, and jumped onto her Pegasus.

"W-Wait!" Kent said. "Didn't you listen to what the tactician said? A Pegasus can't match a wyvern's strength."

"I want to listen to her, but… I have to fight. I won't fight them-head on! I'll only distract them and stall them so Wil can get a clear shot!" By the ballista Wil was already readying the ballista for attack.

Kent was about to try to stop her again, but he wasn't able to, because an enemy cavalier came and he had to fight. When he turned back to Fiora, she was already gone.

"K-Kumiko!"

When someone shouts my name like that, I knew I was in terrible danger of getting hit by something. This time, I turned around to find an arrow, full speed, darting towards me.

"AAAaaahhh!!" All I could do was scream and close my eyes. I forgot to bring my logbook to have some sort of cover for those pesky arrows!

I opened my eyes again after a few seconds, mystified as to why I wasn't dead yet. I found Sir Raven there, oddly. It seems he blocked the arrow with his sword in due time.

"That was close," he told me. "Now tell me, what is going on here?"

"W-Where did you come from, sir Raven?"

"From the Arena. Lucius was with me. We got out of there when we heard the fighting. Where's Priscilla?"

"Resting in the inn."

He was about to say something, but then all of a sudden there was an enemy swordsman behind him and—

"Sir Raven, behind--!"

He began to turn around, but I knew it was too late. He was a goner.

But then a hand axe came and hit the enemy swordsman about to kill Raven. We turned to where it came from—Lord Hector.

"Looks like we're even now," Lord Hector told Raven.

"Hmph." Raven just raised a brow.

Lord Hector went off, and Raven just said, "Give me my orders."

Hey! Get back here!" Legault chased after that pesky, annoying, _infuriating _person that he still couldn't quite catch. It was that person who charged him back then, when he still stood by Kumiko. And by some miracle he still couldn't catch the enemy. He's been in the Fang long enough, and never has he heard of anyone this fast. They must be hiring very talented new recruits.

He paused, and knew he couldn't outrun the enemy, so instead he took a throwing knife and aimed. And thew, And hit. The person fell to the ground.

The only reason he walked toward the fallen enemy was because he was curious as to who in the Fang could be that fast. And maybe because he was missing his lockpicks, and if the enemy was a thief, there might be a lockpick on its person. He knelt by the body, blood already pooling underneath it. He started to lift the cloak to search for some sign of lockpicks.

When the body's hands rose to get a chokehold on his neck.

"Shi…" Legault struggled for breath, and looked into the enemy's face. Brown eyes met his, and he realized he was looking at a woman. He stared harder, and found she had brown hair, and that made him glad in the slightest. Because before all this he almost thought he was in one of those clichéd events when one woman he's been running from (aka Anko) was the one he just ran after.

He lifted his own hands to hold her by the neck as well. She moaned, and struggled from him just as he was struggling from her. His throwing dagger was still buried in her bleeding shoulder. A thought flickered in his mind—he could hold his dagger and bury it deeper into her, that would definitely hurt—but for some reason he ignored it. Then he wished he didn't when she kneed him between the legs.

"Owww!!" he cried, and she scrambled away from him, the hood of her cloak pulled back by the action, revealing her face. He started for an attack again, when he heard someone scream.

"Hey! You there! Legault! What do you think you're doing?!"

He turned to see Matthew running towards him. "Blondie, you're just in time—"

"What did you do to her?!"

Legault was surprised when Matthew stood in front of the woman, and looked down at him as if he did something shameful. "She kneed me in someplace that awfully hurts and she almost strangled me to death," Legault explained.

"_He _knifed me in the shoulder and almost strangled me to death," the woman said.

Matthew sighed and turned to her. "That's bleeding awfully. Let's take that to Serra."

Legault blinked. "What in the world is going on?!"

"None of your business," Matthew snapped, and he helped the girl up to take her to Serra.

When she passed by Legault, she told him, in a low-toned whisper, "Oh, you're Legault, right? Someone I know is looking for you."

When they left, he groaned, "Great! I don't understand what's going on! I don't understand what's going on with this group at all!"

"H-How do you use this thing?!" Rebecca despaired over the ballista. "How am I supposed to aim it, and did I load the bolts correctly?"

"Fear not, Rebecca!" Sain said, heroically. "I've seen Wil practice before! All you do is pull this lever and—" And so Sain pulled the lever.

But then Rebecca and Lowen gasped when they realized Sain just launched the bolt when the ballista was not yet aimed properly. "No!!" they screamed.

And they watched the bolt barely miss Raven's head. The red-haired mercenary turned back to stare at the bolt, and then screamed irately, "Who the hell just tried to hit me with ballista?!" And he turned around and somehow found Rebecca, Sain, and Lowen. He gave them a killer look.

"Oh no!" someone unseen to the three also screamed, it sounded like it was Kumi. "The enemies have taken hold of the ballista! Are Wil and Rebecca alright?! Oh no!"

Rebecca, Sain, and Lowen were left dumbfounded. "Uhm…" Rebecca said, "I think it's best we not use this thing for now, not until I have Wil help me learn it."

"And that we hide from Raven," Sain added.

"And that we hide from Raven," the other two agreed.

"I'm tired!" Serra screamed as the battle dragged on, and Guy came to her for healing. "I've been disturbed from sleep and was restless on that ship, and now I'm in battle again and have to heal _everyone_ and none of them even say thanks! I want to sleep!!" She went on and on, and clearly she couldn't take anymore. Guy slowly started to walk off, forgetting the bleeding wound on his shoulder.

"Uhm, maybe someone should wake up Priscilla," I said, but somehow I saw Raven look at me badly as if trying to tell me, "disturb her sleep and I'll cut you through".

"Uhm… let me handle this…" Ninian suddenly said, and then she danced for Serra.

At the end of the dance, Serra was all smiles and energy again. "Oh, that was so beautiful, Ninian! You should teach me sometime, but I've got something to do! Oh, Guuuuuuy!! Hey, Guy! The braided-Sacaean person! You're bleeding, right! I can heal that!" And Serra actually ran after Guy to heal him.

Wow. That dance really was magical.

After hellish hours the battle finally ended. Whew. Forget clean up, all of us wanted to get our rests. Lord Eliwood and Hector and Lyn were still talking. The Pherean Guard had arrived to take Lord Elbert's body, and to clean up for us too. They're a blessing! And it's great that none of us were wounded badly or dead. I thought that when a ballista bolt almost hit Raven, it meant that one of our ballista team were dead, but thankfully it was just a misaimed shot. (Though the three did tell me that they were going to avoid Raven for the meantime.)

Legault and Matt were arguing in the kitchen. I didn't hear what they were saying, but I knew they were shouting. My mind was sleeping already! But then I saw an unfamiliar figure sitting there in the kitchen, too. A woman, in black cloaks. I blinked.

_Xarin_.

"W-What are you doing here?! Xarin!" I screamed. She just sipped on some more of her drink.

"Oh, great!" Legault said, "She's your friend! You just have the oddest friends, Kumiko."

"She was dispatched to spy on Fang along with Leila," Matt explained. "When Lord Uther heard of what happened to Leila… He ordered Xarin to pull out as well. Legault almost killed her."

So that was what they were arguing about. "Oh."

"I'll be travelling with you in case you decide to meet Lord Uther," Xarin said.

"Okay. Let's talk tomorrow—my head's all weird."

"As you say," she said.

Erk was my roommate in that inn, and he was asleep long before I entered the room. When the battle finished, he immediately went back to his cut sleep. I jumped into my own bed as well.

**End of Chapter.**

A/N:

Time check: 3:41 AM

Like Kumi, I am dying to get sleep. Sorry I cut the end just like that. I rushed this all in a day.

Shout outs: Happy birthday, FE MewMew! I rushed this just to be able to update on your special day.

Reviews welcome.

My awesome bro (abyssjoey here in ffnet) won a writing contest for a fire-emblem cluuubbb (in deviantart)!!! Awesomeness, he won first place! He's leagues better than me now!!! Whoosh. XD

-kageshoujo


	28. Chapter 28

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE : KINSHIP'S BOND

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I woke, Erk was gone, probably taking breakfast already. I yawned and fixed myself up and got ready to go down as well.

When I walked past one of the rooms, I heard Matt and Xarin talking in hushed voices. Normally I wasn't an eavesdrop (what? I wasn't?) but when things involve people dear to me, I sometimes become one. I listened in for a while.

"I wasn't told that you were there, too."

"Naturally. You ran off from Castle Ostia with Lord Hector, so naturally you would have no idea. When Leila's report covered graver things, Lord Uther decided to send me for back-up. Since Leila was positioned high in Black Fang's chain, I decided to stay low so we wouldn't attract unnecessary suspicion from others."

"I see."

There was silence, and then Matt began, "Xarin…"

"Wait. The answer to what you're about to ask is that I have no certain answer. All I heard were rumors, and I was no witness. I can't tell who killed her."

"Then tell me what the rumors said."

"I don't think I will."

"Why not?"

"Matthew, don't take this badly, but… don't waste your time on revenge. It's pointless."

"I'm not asking for your advice, I'm asking for what you heard!"

"I'm keeping my mouth shut."

"Tell me!" I heard a chair fall over, and Matt must've got up to shake Xarin or something. I gasped.

"Matthew. Stay calm or I'm telling Lord Uther that you almost assaulted me. Are you aware that someone at the door has been listening to us the whole time?"

The silence said that he wasn't. He scrambled for the door and found me there, but I ran off before he could say anything.

--------

I ran into a room seeking solace, as if thinking then that Matt was going to hunt me for listening in on him. I was panting, and when I turned to the room I found Guy there, dumbfounded, his hair unbraided, holding his shirt over his bare chest.

"Aaah!" I shrieked.

"Aaah!" he actually shrieked back.

When we both recovered from the initial shock and he was dressed and his hair fixed, he asked me why I barged in and seemed like someone was running after me. I told him of what I heard.

"…Is he really gonna get revenge?" I asked Guy.

"Hmm… probably. I think he loved her very much, and he's hurt very much, though he's trying not to show it. He's definitely gonna want revenge."

"We can't let him do it," I told Guy. "It's foolish. He can't waste his life trying to find some person who killed Leila. I thought he was getting over it since he took it out on the enemies in Dragon's Gate, but now he found some clue about it again and because of that… oh…"

Guy was silent. And then he asked me, "…Wouldn't you want revenge?"

I looked up to him, puzzled. "If someone you loved very much died by someone's hand… wouldn't you want revenge?" he asked again. "Matthew always says that it's nothing, that he's so over it, that he and she were professional spies and they were ready for death since they chose to be spies. But I think he's lying. He's not over it. He wants to seriously kill the one who did that to Leila. Maybe we should let him be himself and do what he wants."

"But it's senseless! So, when he gets revenge, what happens then? The dead won't come to life," I told Guy.

"…Maybe you're right."

I hope Xarin doesn't tell him who did it.

------------

I went downstairs and the others were preparing themselves. We were about to go out and march out to Thria, and it was going to be a quite a long march. Merlinus was busy with the items, too, and everyone around was doing their finishing touches and eating their breakfast. I grabbed some breakfast, too, and sat on the table along with others eating. We were having stew. Beef stew.

The first sip of it reminded me of home, and by that I knew who cooked it. I asked anyway. "Who cooked this?"

Legault was sitting in front of me, and he answered, "Oh, blondie's new girlfriend did."

"It's _Xarin_," I corrected. "And she is not his girlfriend."

"Ooh, our equally blonde tactician is _jealous_," he teased.

"Am not. I'm just correcting your statement."

But he snickered to himself like an all-knowing thief. Gods. I'm gonna drag him back to Anko and have her beat him senseless.

------------

We started the march after everyone finished their breakfasts. The sun was up, and soon noon came. We couldn't stop yet until we get a nice clearing to take lunch on, until Sir Marcus gave us the order to stop. The sun was getting to me, another hour of it and I was going to faint.

"So, what's up? Heard anything from Anko and Sir Alecto?" Xarin walked up to me as the group marched on. She was still in black cloaks, head actually hooded.

"Haven't heard a thing. I miss them a lot. Aren't you hot?"

"In these clothes? Yes. The problem is, the awful green-armored cavalier was stalking me. So there."

Really, Sain. He'd hit on anyone. "That's normal of him. Don't pay him any attention. Or you can stick with a guy, and he'd go off. Cling to Matt's arm or something."

She gave me a look that clearly said, "_gross_". "I don't understand why you'd like a person like him."

"Oh, I don't _like-like _Sain."

"I don't mean him, I meant Matthew," she said. "You like him, don't you?"

"Who says so?"

"I say so. You talked about him fondly, I recall, the last time you were home."

I shrugged. I wasn't sure of what I felt about Matt, not this time. Only one thing was sure. "I just care about him. He's a close friend and all that…"

"_All that_. Yeah." Xarin repeated, and I can tell by her tone that she didn't believe me.

"How has he been treating you?" I asked. "Is he good to work with?"

"Generally he's a bearable person."

I wiggled my eyebrows in baffle. When Xarin saw this, she explained, "You know our profession requires no deep relations with anyone, not even your supposedly workmates. In the trade, an ally can be an enemy the next minute. Leila was professional to work with. He, I haven't worked with yet. I think she was more of a spy than he was. But I have no right to say this, as I don't know them."

"I see… your world seems… complex," I said. "All hiding and running and refusing to get involved…"

"It's good work. Men always have questions and need answers. Men always doubt others. Spies always have work and we can always demand high pay."

I didn't know about that. I wish there would be a time when spies would no longer be needed, where there was absolute peace in the world. But I guess that was so much of a dream, and it would never happen.

"You do know that what you've done is bad, right?" Xarin suddenly said. I didn't know what she meant. "Do you _even_ know who that man is? Legault, I mean. He's known in Fang as the Hurricane, second to none but the Four Fangs. Meaning he was once the fifth in power. What are his reasons for siding with you?"

"Leave him alone," I told her. "He's harming no one."

"You're too kind," she said. "That may be good, that may be bad. I attacked him because I thought he was going to harm you."

So that was why. "He won't lift a finger at me."

"So you say. But do me a favor and stop recruiting odd persons. You're giving Matthew a hard time. You may not know it, be he's doing background checks on every person in your group. There's something about needing manpower, and something about keeping yourself from being stabbed in the back."

"No one here would do that."

"You don't know these people. That red-haired mercenary with the huge blade, for example. He's hiding something. He's especially harmful."

"R-Raven?" He's always been shady, but he shouldn't be harmful. "Let him be. Stop messing around my group."

"As you say. But I'll do you a favor and send Anko a message. She's gonna come here and strangle Legault senseless, and ask you why you ever let someone so awful into your group."

It seems it wasn't only Legault that was being discriminated for joining us. Me, too.

----------

Lunch time. We all sat in some clearing in Thria, and it'll take an hour or two more to reach the Thria-Ostia border. Xarin sat alone, and when we walk she's only with me, Lord Hector, Matthew, Oswin, or by herself. She didn't talk with anyone else. Spies have it hard.

Only when we sat for lunch did I realize that we were traveling with one more person. "Who's that?" I asked Lowen, as I pointed towards a blue-haired woman in silver armor. A knight of high rank, I assumed.

"Lady Isadora, you mean?" he answered. "She's the Captain of Lady Eleanora's guard, and is to travel with us from now on as per Lady Eleanora's wishes."

"A paladin, then." She was certainly of high rank. And none of us in the group were of that level (aside from Marcus). Maybe I should talk to Lyn about promoting some people. We have promotional items in our stock, and I don't know how the heck they work. Were they some kind of magic?

---

We reached the Thria-Ostia border at noon, but it was still far from sunset. We directly went to the abandoned castle fort that was supposedly the meeting place. But it wasn't completely abandoned—knights from the Ostian guard were already there to defend the place even before we reached it.

Everyone took their rests and settled in the back rooms. I stayed with the lords, who were waiting in the meeting room.

"...I've had word from my brother," Lord Hector said. "He's already on his way here. We're to wait for him."

"Lord Uther is coming here himself?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"So it appears. I told you of this before, but Castle Ostia, not to mention the city itself, is filled with countless foreign spies. I assume he thinks it will be easier to speak freely here."

"But... wouldn't leaving Ostia generate even more attention?" I asked.

"He's traveling in secret with very few attendants. He's skilled at this sort of thing. There's no need to worry."

Really, they were truly brothers. "How unconventional," Lyn said. "It must run in the family."

Lord Hector raised a brow at her. "...And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Lyn said with a weird smile. "I'm just very much looking forward to meeting him."

Lord Hector was on the verge of giving a retort when someone screamed—it was undoubtedly Ninian. "No! Nils!? Nils!!" she screamed and screamed.

We jumped to action and went to the scene… Nils was there on the floor. I looked hard at him to figure that he was still breathing. Good. Neither was there any blood on the floor. Good. It must be fatigue. We've had such a long march…

"Nils!?" Lyn rushed in first, and knelt beside Nils' form.

Lord Hector knelt beside her. "Nils! You all right?"

"Nils!!!" Ninian was on the verge of crying. "Open your eyes!"

"Ninian! Calm down!" Lord Eliwood took a firm hold on Ninian, to support her.

"Let's move him into the back room and call a healer," Lord Hector suggested.

We almost met this with nods, but Ninian said, "You mustn't move him!"

"Huh?" we chorused. Why not move him?

"I'm sorry. I... Um... Please, just for now... Don't move him," Ninian said.

"But..." Lord Hector began, and it was met by Ninian's "please..."

Lord Eliwood sighed, and let go of Ninian. "...Let's do as Ninian says," he said. "She must have her reasons."

"...Please, just one night's rest..." Ninian said. "That should... make things right."

"If it's going to make him feel better, fine," said Lord Hector. "Whatever you do, don't move him. I'll let the others know."

"Lord Hector... ...My apologies," Ninian said.

Lord Hector gave a shrug and said, "No worries. Come on Kumiko. Let's tell the others."

I got up, and just about when Lord Hector and I were about to exit the door, a soldier came and blocked our way.

"Sir! We're under attack! It's the east gate! The foe is already inside!"

They're already inside? No way!

"Blast! They would show up now," Lord Hector said.

"We can't move Nils," Lord Eliwood added. "Let's try and hold them off! Protect Nils! Don't let them near him!"

"Kumiko! We need a plan!" Lord Hector said.

"I know!" I told him. "Give me a minute to think things!"

"Alright. I'm telling the group to ready themselves," Lord Hector said. "Lyn, Eliwood…stay there and look after Ninian and Nils, okay?"

----

I ran out the room to check the situation. Gods, they really were there! I looked around—oh, there were so many entrances to the fort and we had to guard all of them! And Nils, too!

"What's up?" Xarin was quick to arrive at the scene, Matt not far from her.

"We're ambushed," I said. "And Nils is unconscious, and he can't be moved."

Both of them looked around, and Matt said, "Tch. This place is gonna be a pain to protect. Not to mention there are a few weak walls, too…"

What?! There were even weak walls?! Oh, the enemies could get through there!

Matt flicked out a rolled piece of parchment, and handed it to me. The castle blueprints. "This place has ballista, but it seems the enemies are seizing it as we speak…"

"Darn it!" Even the ballista! We're in such a tight spot!

Xarin added, "And… it seems I hear they've got wyvern riders, too."

No,no, no! Wyverns were a pain to deal with! "What are Bern's wyvern riders doing here?!"

"It could be a mercenary group and some do have wyvern riders with them. Black Fang, based in Bern, has wyvern riders on their side, too… some drop outs from the military," Xarin explained.

Think, think, think. I took a minute to think while people assembled around. Merlinus was screaming loud while distributing the items, and he seemed most harassed. At least it seems everyone was there. We needed all the manpower have. Some Ostian knights were there as well, but we couldn't rely on them, since they weren't even as many as our group. I started scribbling lists.

"What's the situation?" Lyn asked me as she and Lord Eliwood temporarily left Ninian and Nils.

"Awful," I said. "But we'll find some way to turn things around."

"I trust we can. Someone has to guard Nils," she said.

"I know."

And they fell in along with the rest and I got to battle plans. I spoke quickly—time was of the essence! "Our goal is to stay on the defensive! The place must not be taken! A single enemy shouldn't even enter the place! We assemble into groups and watch over different entry points! Oh, and they've got wyvern riders again, and we all know the drill about them! They're weak to magic and bows, so long range support is important in each group! Once they get in the place it's hard stopping them, so try to bring them down as quickly as possible! We have ballista in the area, but it seems the enemy got to them first! It'd be great if we can seize them, but we won't put much emphasis on that as the ballista reportedly don't have a lot of bolts left. Serra and Priscilla will stay at the center, so if anyone needs healing, they know where to go. Oh, and Nils is unconscious and he can't be moved. Someone has to go guard him!"

----

The groups were settled and taking positions when the blue-haired paladin came to me. "You're Kumiko, correct? Lord Eliwood has told me much about you. I'm a knight in service to House Pherae. My name is Isadora. I'm under your command. Please instruct me."

Oh! I forgot to give her a group! "Oh, oh. Nice meeting, Isadora. Uhhmm… Let's see… Legault, the purple-haired guy with the dark clothes is trying to scavenge around and take anything of worth from the castle before the enemy gets to it. Please escort him."

"He's… a thief?"

"Well, assassin, really. Former Black Fang. But don't let that get to you, he's on our side now. You understand things like this, don't you?"

"Yes. Of course," she said, and she set off, too.

I was about to go off as well when someone spoke from behind me. "Hey. Lady Tactician."

It was Xarin.

"I think you forgot my orders."

"A-A-Ah…" I stuttered. I didn't think she'd ask for her orders. I knew she'd certainly fight to defend the place, but… sending someone you grew up with, almost like your sister, to battle? What if I'm the reason she'd get hurt? "You're not exactly part of my unit…"

"Then I suppose my orders are to do what I think is right. I have to defend the place as Lord Uther is coming here, and he's my boss. I just thought you might need me for a special role."

I couldn't think of anything to say. I was growing comfortable with giving orders to people twice or thrice my age, of greater status, but I couldn't find myself doing it to a person I grew up with.

"I guess I'll ask Matthew if he needs me to do anything, and if he doesn't, I'll go watch Lord Hector's back." And she started walking off.

"Good enough…"

But then she stopped, and turned back to the room where Ninian and Nils were. Dorcas was there, too, standing guard. Xarin stood by the entrance and told Dorcas, "Are you the one watching over the boy?"

Dorcas just nodded.

"You might want to get out of the room."

Dorcas looked puzzled, and looked at me for direction. I turned to Xarin. She said, "Just trust me."

I nodded, and Dorcas walked out of the room.

"You his sister?" Xarin asked Ninian. Before Ninian could answer, Xarin said, "Well, it seems you are. It's best you stay there, too. Just don't panic."

We didn't know what was going on. Xarin took two rolled white parchment from her bag, and rolled it out on the entryway to the room. The papers had weird runes written all over them, and when Xarin finished laying them out on the floor, the runes glowed white, and then the entire thing, paper and all, vanished.

"What was that?" I asked, walking towards the scene to figure what happened when my head hit an invisible wall. I tried to walk through again, but something invisible was blocking my path. Inside the room, Ninian and Nils were looking puzzled.

"Light Rune," she explained. "It blocks paths on the tile it was put on with an unseen pillar. Even wyvern riders can't get in there. For a while the siblings are safe. The effect won't be forever and it would wear out within an hour, so it's best there's still a guard out here."

"That's great! Thanks, Xarin!" I beamed.

She shrugged. "Just doing my job. I've got reserves, and mines, too. The Spy Network is in the habit of using such things. I'll use them when I think I should." And she just ran off, just like that. But what she did was incredibly useful.

-----

The enemies were pushing through our defenses, and they were keen to see the weak walls Matt spoke of. They weren't just some random group. They must be affiliated with Black Fang…

The healers were running to and fro, and the magic casters were intent on killing every wyvern rider around. The ceilings of the castle were high that they could fly in, and if they did, THAT was certain doom. They can barge in and strike me down for all I knew. But there were so many wyvern riders that it was puzzling…

"Kumiko!" Canas called me.

"What?"I turned to him, his call sounded more like he needed my attention than a warning.

And then it just happened. BAM! Lightning struck the floor just after I took a step away, the sound of it seemed to make me deaf. I looked up. The floor was charred, so was the ceiling, but wasn't destroyed.

Great, they've got long-ranged magic, too. I groaned and ran for some Pure Water. I might get terribly lucky and get hit by those things.

---

"Now, let's see…" Legault looked at the Member Card, shifting it in its hand so the surface caught some light. "According to the card, where is that entrance…" That part of the castle hasn't been infiltrated by any enemies yet, so he had the time figure the card out.

"E-Excuse me, Sir Legault?"

He didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. Legault continued examining the patterns in the card, and said, "Ah, Lady Isadora, knight to Pherae. May I be of any service?"

"Lady Kumiko told me that I was going with you."

He turned around to look up to her, and he felt small beside a paladin on a horse. He wiggled his eyebrows. "She said that?"

"Yes, she said I was to watch your back."

He raised a brow. It was highly illogical to have a thief be escorted by someone on a mount, because no matter how fast he may be, he couldn't keep up with a horse. Thieves were light-footed and they can creep up on the enemy, and horses are too noisy that they're a dead giveaway to one's presence. He didn't like horses much, either. There was a time in Black Fang that someone's horse actually tried to eat his hair…

"Well… that's weird," he said. "A thief and a paladin are an odd team. Whatever is Kumiko up to…?" Then he shook his head. Isadora was not bad looking… "Then again, it doesn't matter. Better to be with someone, right? Come, please follow me, I think I figured the entrance to that shop…"

---

"This isn't looking good, Kumiko!!" Lord Hector screamed, as more and more enemies flooded to the front castle entrance, which we were defending. God! Gods! It wasn't good!

There were shouts of "Serra" and "Priscilla" everywhere. The enemies have pushed us back from our standing in the front gate, and extras guarding other entrances have actually come over to lend some help. Rebecca and Wil were shooting arrows nonstop, too…

I shrieked when a strong wind passed me, almost blowing my skirt up. And then I realized where it had come from. God! A wyvern rider got in! A wyvern rider!

"Priscilla!!" Raven shouted, and it wasn't because he needed healing. In a snap I knew what he meant—I ran over to Priscilla, and I saw that that wyvern rider had stopped in front of her… There was no one to protect her as almost everyone was busy guarding the entrances…

I bravely ran in front of Priscilla, blocking her from the wyvern rider. His green hair was odd, with a white streak in it…

"I-I just want to talk," he said. "I just thought I saw a familiar face…"

"There's no one familiar here." I turned around and was surprised to see that Raven had almost instantaneously arrived there, blade pointed at the wyvern rider. The wyvern gave a loud, aggressive shriek to Raven that made me cover my ears, but the rider pulled on its reins, hushing it.

"I have no wish to fight women and children…" he said. Wait, did he just refer to me as a child? Was he calling me a child?

"I don't care what you wish for and don't," Raven said, sword already raised to attack but then…

"Raven," it was Priscilla. "I… Please let him speak, I do remember I've already met him before…"

Raven froze rigid, gave Priscilla a disbelieving look, and then groaned, and then walked away grumpily back to his post.

"Y-You've met him?!" I asked, confused. "How?! When?!"

"In Castle Laus…"

I don't remember at all meeting some enemy at Castle Laus. And my mind was too puzzled to recall. "But he's the enemy! You can't just chat like two old friends!"

"Actually, Kumiko, he was saying…"

I turned to the rider, and he spoke. "I wish to surrender to your group. As I said, I don't want to fight women or children, so…"

I remember what Xarin said about recruiting dangerous personalities. "If you're gonna surrender to us, you're gonna have to fight for us," I told him. "You're going to have to fight your comrades."

He was silent, but then he just said, "…I understand that."

Then I turned to Priscilla. "Are you going to let this person join us?"

"W-Why are you asking me that?"

So as to avoid Matt and Xarin and Lord Hector's probing. "You claim you've met him before. Will you be responsible for him? If he turns on us, I'm going to have to blame you. Will you let him join us? Do you trust him?"

God, it sounded as if I was just asking Priscilla the necessary questions before getting married. She glanced at the rider, and said, "Alright."

"Alright, then welcome to our group, sir…?"

"Heath," the rider supplied. "My name's Heath."

---

"Kumiko!" It was Lyn's voice. "Look who I brought!"

I turned around to see Lyn… and behind her was a small group of fighters, and beside her was… wait! Rath! Rath!

"R-Rath!" I screamed, almost running over to hug him if only he weren't on a blasted horse. "W-What are you--? Why are you---?"

"We're mercenaries hired by Lord Ostia," he said. "But after this, I would gladly join you."

"Thanks, Rath!"

-----

"Well, well, will you look at that…" Matthew mused as he caught glance of an enemy thief undoing the locks of the treasure room in the distance. "Someone hasn't been fulfilling his role of taking the treasures…"

Xarin was beside him, wiping some blood from her dagger. "Legault's role, is that it? Something must be taking him."

"That's a lame excuse," Matthew said. "Whatever the case, we don't let the enemy take the treasure! They might as well rob Merlinus! C'mon, Xarin!"

------

"That's their commander," Heath pointed me to a man in the enemy lines. "His name is Eubans. If you finish him… this battle should be over."

"Eubans…" I whispered. And then I turned to Heath. "Why join us? He seems a capable man, and they don't seem awful." That meant that they fought well, and nothing more. They nearly got us, but things were looking brighter now. The enemies' numbers were dwindling but they were still putting up quite a fight.

"I told you, I can't fight women and children…"

"What a lame reason." This was war, and they were mercs, and they're getting gold. Gender doesn't matter in war. Childhood vanishes in war.

He was silent, but then he said, "I… I have something to prove to myself."

"I see…" So he has his reason as well.

---

The enemies started retreating, as Heath predicted, when their commander fell. Of course. They were mercenaries, and their leader was all their reason to fight, aside from the pay they were getting. I relieved myself by wiping myself with a handkerchief as the others started cleaning up the battlefield's mess.

Legault and Matt were arguing in a corner, Isadora and Xarin looking at them in either a concerned or disgusted manner. I couldn't tell, really.

"Alright, what is going on here?" I broke in on the conversation.

"HE was traipsing about, shopping, when he was supposedly to take the treasure in the vault," Matt started.

"Blondie and his girlfriend took the job that was supposedly mine and the lady paladin's, and no, I was not shopping, at least not exactly. I replenished the supplies, with high caliber items at that."

I glanced at both of them, and they were glaring at each other. Xarin was clearly thinking that Legault and Matt were like arguing schoolboys. I couldn't tell what Isadora thought, she just seemed confused that the two men were like that.

I groaned, rolled my eyes, and threw my head back at the absurd scene. "You two are like arguing schoolboys!" I said. "I don't care what went on or what went wrong or whatever. It's over now, okay? We're all alive and we won."

"Tch," Matt said, which was met by Legault's "pfffh".

They have got to stop acting like _boys_ one time or another. I remember the old proverb there… A thief's enemy is another thief. And also, a thief always seems to think that someone else is stealing from him even if no one is.

I trudged off to rest and wait for Lord Uther.

---------

Lord Uther finally arrived in a few minutes.

"So, brother, you're alive after all," he told Lord Hector when we were settled in a meeting room. "You were so long gone that I feared you dead. Another day, and I might have arranged you a funeral rite."

"...My apologies,"Lord Hector said, though he did not look apologetic at all. "Been a little busy."

"Yes..." Lord Uther said with a nod. "Leila's final report covered much. ...Eliwood. I am sorry about Lord Elbert. I was powerless to help."

Lord Eliwood shook his head. "No... Nothing could have been done. ...More importantly, do you know of Nergal?"

"Only what was reported to me," Lord Uther said. "He appeared a year ago and seized control of Black Fang. Then he ensnared Laus in a plot of rebellion against Ostia. I can't see what he's after..."

"The dragons that vanished after the Scouring..." Lord Eliwood began, "He wants to... bring them back again."

"What!? Can that be done?" Lord Uther was shocked.

"Yes," said Lord Eliwood. "Let me explain…"

And so Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and Lyn told the entire story so far to Lord Uther—about Nergal, Black Fang, Ephidel, Valor and the Dragon's Gate… and that one dragon. Lord Uther listened seriously, but I could tell part of his head still didn't want to believe our story. When the three lords finished, Lord Uther excused himself, saying he needed time to think things through.

----

"This has even got my brother brooding," said Lord Hector. "He's always been a firm believer in quick decisions. Yet he wishes for more time... that's never happened before."

"...It's gone from a simple rebellion to a threat to the human race," Lyn said. "We saw it with our own eyes, and yet... It's all so unbelievable."

Lord Eliwood added, "Yet... it's all true."

Lord Hector met that with a nod. "Yes. I wonder what will happen next. Ideally, we could bring the whole of our lands together to fight as one. It would be a return to the time of the Scouring..."

"However, this all hinges on the existence of dragons themselves," Lord Eliwood said importantly. "Unless dragons are seen in the skies, I doubt anyone will believe us."

"Right," Lyn said. "And once the dragons are here it'll be too late."

:We must stop all of this now. And we're the only ones who know enough to do it!" said Lord Eliwood.

"Right!" said Lord Hector.

Lyn nodded. "I agree."

"There we have it! Come on, let's speak to my brother!"

Well. That was a quick decision. I was weighing the consequences of not having Ostia help us in this journey when Lord Eliwood tapped me, and Ninian, who was there beside me, by the shoulder.

"Kumiko, Ninian. Will you go with us?"

------

"I would sooner not place this burden on your shoulders alone," Lord Uther said. "And yet, I can see no other choice before me. Listen, my brother... Eliwood, Lyndis, are you determined to act on your resolve?"

"Yes, we're prepared," Lord Eliwood said.

"Me, too..." added Lyn. "I don't care for sitting back, waiting for others to act."

And then Lord Uther turned to me. "And you, Kumiko. My brother and his friends are in your debt. What role will you play? Will you help them? See them through their coming trials?"

I gave a small smile. "As much as I think we're facing great dangers, there's nothing I can do but help, knowing the things that might happen." I was scared in the slightest, knowing that every battle was going to be more and more difficult… but part of me loved it. The adventure. It scared me that I might end up lusting for this, for wars and fighting. But this was for a good cause. We were saving mankind.

" ...I see," Lord Uther said. "I've heard little things about you. They say you are young, but you are good enough for these tasks. Do your best." And then he turned to us all again. "...Good luck to you all. ...And what of the girl? The one we spoke of earlier?"

"Oh, Ninian," Lord Hector said, and Ninian came forward to Lord Uther.

"It... It's an honor to meet you, Marquess Ostia..." Ninian said.

"Both Ninian and her brother, Nils, possess a special power," said Lord Hector.

"Is that so?" said Lord Uther. "Then I would ask you. Do you know where Nergal is at this moment?"

"Yes, I can sense him... To the east... He is... very far."

E-East?! The east?! My… my home country is there!

"East... Is he targeting Bern next?" Lyn said.

"That bodes ill. Bern is a powerful and militant country. If Nergal ensnares it... We're done for." Lord Uther said exactly what I was thinking.

"...There's still time," Ninian assured us. "He is still... very weak... Now... We must act..."

"So, Nergal can't act right away, is that it?" Lyn said. "Yet, what can we..."

"We've no choice but to depart for Bern," Lord Hector said.

Lord Uther shook his head. "...If there's time, make your destination Missur."

"Missur!? That's the wrong direction!" Lord Hector exclaimed.

"Go to the Nabata desert..." Lord Uther said. "You may find aid there."

"What do you mean?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Go and meet the living legend."

_Living... legend?_

**End of Chapter.**

A/N:

Sorry for late update!

If the original charas keep popping up, it's because I, as I said, lost motivation after the death of Leila, and so I am using my characters to have something to look forward to in writing. It's a relief for a writer to have to write a character you're free with because you know her so well because you created her. If the OC's annoy anyone, sorry.

**Darkblaziken**: Wow, Xarin sounds familiar? I wonder where you heard the name before, aside from this fic. Uh, maybe from my bro's FE comics in dA? There was an episode there called "Xarin, Daughter of Joshua and Marisa" something.

**Xirysa**: Where in the world are you? Your beloved Heath has finally joined the group…

That's it for now. I now should return to the painting of Ena that I've been working on. Review, my friends! Please let me know if you're still alive.


	29. Chapter 29

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO : LIVING LEGEND

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you're leaving?"

Xarin shrugged. "Can't help it. Lord Uther needs someone to watch his back in Ostia. With both Matthew and Leila gone, someone reliable to answer his needs for information must be around."

"Oh…" I said.

"What, were you thinking I would tag along your group?" she said. "Even a group like yours wouldn't need or want too many thieves and spies. You've already got your hands full with the two in your group."

I chuckled. "Yeah, you're right…"

"I heard you might be headed for Bern. If you ever meet up with Anko and Sir Alecto and the others, say hi for me."

I smiled, and nodded. She went off towards Lord Uther's group, about to get on her horse. I almost laughed. Unlike either Matt or Legault, she didn't seem to hate horses.

I almost turned back, but then I saw Matt approach Xarin right before she could jump onto her horse. I watched, but I really couldn't tell what he was saying. He pulled Xarin closer to whisper something to her. Is he… asking about Leila again? Xarin whispered something back, and got on her horse before Matt could respond. Did she tell him who did it?

I couldn't tell at all, and all of it had me worried.

-----

I decided to ask Matt about it directly.

"I heard what you and Xarin talked about that morning…"

"Yeah, I know you heard." His tone was somewhat sarcastic or bitter. "You've really got manners, Kumi."

"…Did you ask her again just now?"

He looked at me disbelievingly, as if he couldn't believe just how much of an eavesdrop or gossip I was. But then he just reassured me with a smile and he patted my head, ruining my hair.

"I know you're worried. But you shouldn't be. Bitch didn't tell me anything."

I almost sighed a sigh of relief, but then I realized what he just said. "Wait, did you just call Xarin a---"

"Nu-uh!" he said. "I said 'witch'! You heard wrong!"

I remember hearing it exactly like what I thought it was. "Nu-uh! I heard what you said! If she didn't say anything, she's just doing it for your own good!"

He shrugged. "She's not my mother. She doesn't know what's good for me or not."

"Well, she was concerned and she cared, so she didn't---"

"Concerned? Cared? Hah!" Matt almost laughed. "She's very professional and easy to work with, but she is the last person who would even _care_."

"That's not true," I said. Xarin was the reserved type, and Xarin was just a professional spy, so all she was doing was in the name of her work, but deep inside, she may care… may. Maybe. "What exactly did you tell her?"

Matt sighed. I knew he was starting to see me as annoying. But he answered anyways. "I told her to take care, to watch Lord Uther's back, and asked her if she changed her mind about telling about Leila. She told me that she'd be careful, that I be careful, and that I could kill her and still I wouldn't know anything about who killed Leila. There."

I sighed a sigh of relief. So he still knew nothing. Maybe in time he'd forget about wanting to have revenge.

-------

The road to Missur, to Nabata, was going to take two days at the least. Our group was getting bigger and lugging more supplies, so we were starting to move slower. I wasn't looking forward to Missur, either. Just to imagine the heat was going to make me faint.

Some of the group were startled by the new recruit, Heath. Well, it's shocking to see a wyvern and a wyvern rider by your side when all you used to do was shoot them down. While this was supposed to stir some major commotion in the group, it didn't. Legault's joining was more unwelcome. Maybe because Priscilla was there to help explain Heath, and Serra and Rebecca actually stood up for him, too. I just remembered why Priscilla said that they met before. He was the one who saved the girls in Castle Laus. I sort of respect him now because of that, and am glad that he joined us.

Raven, however, was giving him looks filled with killer intent. The other Priscilla fan, Guy, wasn't that bad, though. I heard he even gave Heath a brief thanks for sparing the girls then. But Raven was totally all eyes on him, watching him like a hawk, as if thinking, "Hah! Do one wrong thing and I am going to get you out of this group!" Most of the killer looks that were supposedly reserved for Lord Hector were transferred to Heath.

"You seem to be glaring in the general direction of wyvern wings lately…" I told Raven one time, as we marched.

He crossed his arms. "Hmph. Still nosy, aren't we, Kumiko?"

I pouted. Was I really nosy? For all I knew that was part of my work. "Are you jealous?"

"Of you being nosy? No."

"Hey, that's not what I meant!!" I said. What he said could have been a joke, but he didn't smile or laugh—just said it straight, which made it sound more like an insult to my intelligence. "What I meant was, are you jealous of Heath and Priscilla?"

The answer was plain again. "No."

"Then why are you---"

"If this will get you to shut up," he said, looking down at me, "I would probably want to hire the group spy to check his background, but I can't."

"Why not?"

"Spies don't like me."

He just reminded me that I had to find out _why _spies don't like him.

--------

We camped that first day when the night came, and everyone was cherishing the cool grass at the area, because we knew that sooner or later we were going to see sand, sand and nothing more but sand. When everything was set and after the meal was served and we ate, there was nothing for us to do but sleep. I couldn't quite find it in me to sleep yet, so I sat by the fire, alone, and went to my writing.

Erk met me right after I closed my logbook. "Hey."

"Oh, hey," I looked up to him with a smile. "What's up, Erk?"

He wouldn't look at me, though. He kept looking around the place. "Uhm… you wanna go for a walk?"

A…walk? In the middle of the night? Not to mention a defenseless girl and a mage make for easy targets… but it looks like Erk really needed some time with me… He rarely asks for something unless it's really important.

"It won't take that long," he said, and when he said that I realized that I must've thought of his offer for long.

"Yeah, sure," I said, getting up and dusting my clothes before walking off with him. I wonder what's up?

We walked, reaching a spring in the forest where the group replenished our water supplies. No one was around now, though, since it was too late. It was a safe distance from camp—not too far, and not too near either.

"So, what's up, Erk? Why'd you ask me to come here?" I was playing with the water with my hands, the feel of it was chilling. So cold.

The mage took a seat on a damp rock. He looked thoughtful, eyes focused on something distant it seems. I worried. This must mean it's something serious and severe or something to that extent.

"I just… I just got to thinking, Kumi. We've been though a lot… you know? From Caelin, up to now…"

"Yup." I smiled. "I've been through a lot with you, Erk. That's sorta cool."

"Yeah, and… at first I sot of underestimated you, since you were really clumsy and you seemed new to the whole tactician thing…"

The statements weren't really flattering, but they were true. I didn't know what to think that moment, though.

"But…" he said, and I looked up to him. "You were still pretty smart, and somehow your very presence in the battlefield makes everything better. I learned to trust you and know that when you're in control, everything's going to be alright."

I smiled at him genuinely. He blushed. I giggled. "That's so sweet of you, Erk."

"Uh… yeah. Thanks. Uhm, my point is, I guess… I…"

I stared at him expectantly, curiously. He was fidgeting with his robes, as if nervous. I just stared at him.

"I… uhm… I guess… You… won't hate me if I tell you, would you?"

Hate? This was definitely something serious. What would be so grave for me to hate him if he told me? He couldn't have done something horrible, could he have? Made a small mistake? Or was I the one who made a mistake, and… he was going to correct me because he thinks I've done something horribly, or…

I took a breath. "It depends on what you're going to say, but I'll try my best not to hate you."

He didn't look reassured. I just realized that what I said wasn't very reassuring, only very honest. What if he doesn't tell me? It might be very important. But Erk's not the kind to hide very important things.

"The point is that… I guess that… I think I… I…"

"You…? Oh, Erk, just say it!"

"Kumiko, I…"

"Yikes!"

The exclamation was from neither Erk nor me.

Erk and I jumped alert, startled by the sudden exclamation. Erk's hand was quickly on a Thunder tome, spell gathering in his hands. But then we found out who just screamed.

It was Legault, hanging precariously on a high, but rather sturdy tree branch, just regaining his balance and position on the branch. He gave a sheepish smile as he looked down at me and Erk.

"Hey there Kumi. Hey there mage boy."

Erk groaned.

I pouted. "What are you doing up there, Legault?!"

He grinned. "Sleeping."

I raised a brow. "Even if you were sleeping, I don't think a thief like you would lose his balance. Not on a branch that sturdy."

"Hey, it's not my fault you and him were talking in such low voices that I had to inch closer---whoops." He immediately covered his mouth.

Erk groaned again, his hands rising up to cover his face. He must feel horrible, this suddenly happening when he was about to say something utterly important (whatever it was).

"You are so rude!" I yelled at Legault. "Did you follow us all the way here? People really won't like you if you keep doing stuff like this!"

"For your information," he jumped down the tree and dusted himself, "I was not following you. This is purely coincidence. I was here to refill my canteen." He lifted up a canteen to my attention, the metal of it caught the moonlight. "I just thought I'd hide when you guys came along, since you seemed like, ehem, you had something important to discuss. And for another piece of information, I am not like someone else here who was listening in for longer." He pointed to a huge, damp boulder by the spring.

I almost peeked behind the rock, but then Matt's face suddenly rose from behind it. He rested his chin and arms on the rock, and smiled. He was wet.

"Y-You've been there all along, Matt?! How long--?"

"Payback for eavesdropping on me and Xarin."

Erk groaned for the third time, looking like he'd want to hide behind a rock himself.

I glanced at Matt and Legault, and said, "You two planned this."

"Nu-uh!" Matt immediately said. "I knew he came and was there, because as a thief I quickly detect human presence. But I was about to take a bath and he was about to take some water when we heard you two coming. Thought we'd give the two of you some alone time… but it was not planned! I'd never plan anything with _that_ man, even for fun."

Legault nodded, meaning to say that this was really coincidence and that he'd never plan anything with Matt as well.

"Why are you taking a bath this time of the night?!"

"Hey, all you girls are lined up for it at the day. And knowing that we're going to Missur, I have just _got_ to take this chance. It's all sandbaths when we get there."

"But you should have said that you were there! You've been so rude, listening in…"

Matt grinned and by that grin I wished I could grab that rock he was hiding behind and throw it at him. "As was said, _payback_, Kumi."

I pouted, and at the same time I mustered the angriest look I have and shot it at Matt. It must have come out cutely, because Matt just looked like he'd laugh.

"And besides, I wasn't expecting Erk to bring you here to talk of something incredibly important," Matt said, and winked at Erk. The mage blushed.

"S-Shut up…" Erk said.

"Aww, so now that you know that we're here, you can go ahead and continue your conversation…" Legault suggested.

"Just shut up!" Erk screamed.

I stilled. That was rare. Erk never screamed, never got mad. He was always held in. And then when he noticed that we were silenced, he groaned, and yelled again. "I just give up! This is pointless!"

And he actually stormed off.

When he was gone, I glared at the two thieves, and they said, in unison, "uh-oh".

"Now look what you've done!" I screamed. "Now he's angry! You two have got to seriously make it up to him! Gods! Now he could be mad at me too, for all I know!"

The two looked seriously thoughtful, but then Legault said, "He can't be mad at you."

"And why not? You two are my friends, and you just humiliated him!"

"He just can't," Matt said. "He can't get mad at you. You go figure why."

I didn't care for what he said that moment. I just decided to run off.

----------

I ran back to camp to look for Erk, and went over his tent to check. Wil, his supposedly tentmate, was just outside, so I ran to him.

"Hey. Has Erk returned?"

"Yeah, he's in the tent," Wil said. "He… looked upset though, so I kinda decided to leave him on his own for a while."

"I need a minute with him," I told Wil. "An important minute. Can you do me a favor and make sure no one bothers?"

"Sure, but… what's up?"

"I kinda am the reason why he's upset… Long story, Wil. I'll fill you in when it's over, okay?"

He nodded, and I went into their tent. I found Erk in the corners of the tent, back hunched, face buried into his raised knees. I silently sat down in the tent, and said, "Hey."

He didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry about then," I said. "They were insensitive jerks. I couldn't believe they would do that. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he said.

"Still, I'm sorry. I… we can forget that ever happened, right? If you really have to say something, you can say it now."

He didn't speak. I sat there silently, fidgeting with the tent flooring . He's really upset. Maybe at me, too, only he won't admit it.

"Hey… you're mad at me, aren't you?"

"No!" he immediately said, lifting his head from his knees to look at me. And then his eyes darted away again into another direction. "You're… I could never get mad at you."

"That's nice to hear," I said. "But what were you trying to say earlier?"

He shook his head. "Forget it. It wasn't that important."

"I-It couldn't be unimportant!" He got so upset because he was unable to say it! "Whatever it is, I'll listen. And I won't react badly."

He just shook his head more. "I… I gave up. It wasn't meant to be said. It wouldn't help you any, Kumi. Just confuse you. So forget it. I was mad to even bring it up."

I didn't know why, but my understanding seemed to be inexistent at that time, and I couldn't help but act selfish. "How am I supposed to know what it'll do to me or not when I don't even know what it is?!" I said, raising my voice, caring more for my curiosity than what Erk felt.

"You just---you don't understand at all, do you?! You don't know what I feel! You don't know how confused I am…"

"How am I supposed to know when you don't tell me?!"

We silenced when we realized we've been shouting. I didn't understand what was going on at all!

"Hey… Kumi?" Erk said finally.

I looked up to him slowly.

"…Maybe… it's best we don't see each other for a while."

"W-What?" I couldn't understand what he was getting at.

"It… it'll just hurt me and confuse me to see you."

"That's ironic!" I screamed. "You just said that knowing that I was around made you feel good, that you could never get mad at me and now—"

"Just listen to me! I… I still trust you, but I just think it's for the best for now! I need to clear my head, alright?!" I've never ever heard Erk raise his voice, or Erk wear a hurt, confused, and angry look, but it didn't affect me. I was still selfish.

"This involves me, too!" I said. "And you can't have your say on it alone and not listen to my opinion! You didn't say whatever it was you meant to say since you said I might hate you and I might get hurt, but what you said just hurt! _This_ hurts, Erk!"

And I ran off, my eyes tearing up. Outside, Wil almost walked up to me, but I ran away from him, too.

------

"Tch. I knew it," Matt said as I heard him open the tent flap and peek inside. I wiped my tears, but I turned my back towards him.

"I don't want to see you!" I yelled. "I hate you, too!"

"Fortunately I don't care for being hated." He walked into the tent and sat down beside me, on my bedroll. I inched farther from him, my back facing him all the while. "I don't care for being hated," he said. "You hate me, Xarin hates me, the world at large probably hates me, and I still don't care. All I care about now is… well, why are you crying?"

A crying person never answers that, at least not a person crying because of something bad. It only makes them cry more, like I did.

He reached out for me, almost holding me, but I slapped his arm away, and told him, "You jerk! You're part the reason why everything's like this! No, not even part the reason—you're to blame for why all this happened!" If he and Legault weren't there, this wouldn't be happening!

He gave an apologetic look, but no apology ever escaped his mouth. Right. He would probably defend himself if I pressed him to say sorry, saying it was payback, and no one apologizes for that.

He became silent, and I tried to control my tears. Matt just sat there, staring, and that was kind of unnerving. So I finally spoke.

"Erk hates me, and he doesn't want to see me anymore."

Matt was shocked, and then angry. "The gal of that mage! How could he dump you? He is going to get it and…"

"D-Dump me?"

"Oops, he didn't? Okay then… How could he make you cry?!"

"I don't understand how he could have said those words, too!" I told Matt, still sniffling. And I ended up telling him the whole story in Erk's tent.

Matt sighed, and then said, "…But he has perfect reason why he's acting that way."

I gave him a puzzled look. "Erk has the perfect excuse for acting that way," Matt said again.

"What?" I asked.

He just shook his head. "I can't believe you're so dense. If I were the one who told you of it, though, you wouldn't believe me."

"I've had enough of people knowing something that I don't! Tell me, Matt!"

He got up. "I'll find someone credible to tell you. Stay there."

And he left.

------

Matt returned with Sir Canas in tow. I was still weeping then, but none too wildly anymore.

"Oh dear," Canas said and he immediately took my side and put his arms around me. "There, there, Kumiko… Just cry."

I was puzzled. Instead of saying 'stop crying', Sir Canas would say, 'just cry'.

"Lady Lyn was busy," Matt said. "I was supposed to bring her, but I brought the shaman instead."

"Sir Matthew told me about everything," said Canas. "And as a fellow magic-user like Erk, whom I am good acquaintances with, I must do something. So listen to this carefully, Kumiko."

I buried my face in his robes, but I listened.

"What Erk is trying to tell you, Kumiko, is a very important thing," he began. "Yes, very important. But, even though it is that important, it's more like a double-edged sword. It's literally something you either love him or hate him for. In telling you he's risking his very friendship with you."

"I'd always be friends with him," I told Sir Canas.

"Are you friends with him now?"

_No, and I don't want to see him if I could help it._

"See?" Sir Canas seemed to have read my mind. "You don't like him very much now, do you? That certain knowledge that Erk carries with him that involves you is… as I'd call it again, a double-edged sword. Or… let's see, a better comparison… Ah, a cape!"

The talk was getting weirder and weirder. "A cape?!"

"The thoughts Erk keep are like a cape. They are either the thoughts that keep him warm, and they could also be the thoughts that cause him to stumble. In not telling you he is subjecting himself to the torture of keeping a grave secret, but if he did tell, you might not like him. So he's confused."

I saw Matt impatiently tapping his foot, as if waiting for Sir Canas to get to a point. I was waiting for the same thing. "But, what do you mean, Sir Canas?"

"He's confused, and in an awkward situation. If you clear your head and rearrange your thoughts… you'll begin to understand him, even for little."

"But he's stupid," I said. "Why doesn't he just tell? I would never truly hate him for anything." Unless if he's actually a man of Nergal and has betrayed us all.

"He's scared to lose you. Maybe when he's braver, he'd tell… maybe when he trusts you more, he'd tell. Or maybe he'd just show you one day," Sir Canas said.

"…Do you know his secret?" I asked Sir Canas curiously.

"I wouldn't call it much of a secret!" Sir Canas said, with a chuckle. "Of course I know of it! It'd have to be blind not to know it!"

"Then how come I don't know of it!" I whined.

"Because you're just a kid," Matt suggested, with a huge grin.

"I am not a kid!"

Matt just laughed. "Whatever you say, Lady Tactician. The point is that Erk li---"

"Shush!" Canas interrupted. "Don't tell her! If you tell her now, you'll destroy the very moment that Erk will tell her! You'd destroy the drama of that moment! You'd be destroying that dramatic and emotional scene that would be worth its own novel!"

"Oh, yeah," Matt said. "So, sorry Kumi. You really do have to figure out on your own."

I was starting to understand clearly now. I had to figure on my own, or I had to wait for Erk to tell. Because if I found out some other way, it just wouldn't be fair. I nodded.

"I didn't know that shamans were credible counselors," Matt told Canas.

Canas gave a sheepish smile. "I'm not a very good one. I just heard that from my wife's mother, she always used to lecture us. I took ages to tell my wife as well, so her mother told her that."

------

I didn't sleep well. I couldn't get any sleep, though the crying did loads to help get things off my chest. When I woke up, I was groaning, craving more sleep, my eyes feeling sore and heavy. And then the morning horn sounded.

The sound of the thing jolted me awake. I looked out my tent—the sun was up. God, it was time to leave! And I just woke up! I hurried for my clothes, bumping my head on one of the tent posts while doing it. I haven't even taken a bath! But forget it, I'm late! Lord Hector's gonna kill me! What a great tactician I am, setting up a great example to everyone else…

When I was dressed and my bag slung onto me, I walked out the tent and saw that all the other tents and the entire camp it seems had been cleared out. Everyone was gone. Oh no.

I also saw the wyvern rider Heath, with his wyvern, before me. I blinked. He was all dressed up and packed up, good to go.

He blinked back. "Lord Hector told me to wait on you. He told me that you should take your time."

"They're leaving!"

Heath nodded. "But he told you to take your time. When you're finished, we could catch up. Wyverns could cover great distances."

I glanced at his wyvern, and looked away when the sight of it just reminded me of a dragon. I was used to seeing wyverns as I was from Bern, but the thought that they were lesser dragons or something were frightening when you're trying to fight a man who's going to summon some great dragons to ruin the world.

-------

So apparently Matt looked for Lyn last night, so Lyn found out what happened, and Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood found out, and Oswin found out, and Marcus found out, and Kent found out, and Wil's not exactly the secretive person, and so on and so forth… Word really travels fast. So maybe Lyn and Lord Eliwood persuaded Lord Hector to give me a break.

I wish they didn't do that when I was on Heath's wyvern, feeling the sharp wind against me, just threatening to blow me off the blasted creature. I clung onto Heath tightly, and he was doing his best to give me a smooth ride. But being so many feet off the ground would never be a smooth one for me, and all I was concentrated on was keeping my breakfast in my stomach. We were so high up in the air that I couldn't even afford to look down to admire the view. For a split second I imagined giving orders to Guy to ride on this wyvern. Guy would probably kill me.

"So, uh… I heard you were from Bern," Heath told me, probably trying to make a small talk to take my mind off air fright.

"Yup," I answered shortly.

"I'm from Bern, too," he said. "Well, obviously, since I'm a wyvern rider. Where exactly are you from?"

"In a forest," I said. "Close to the castle, in the capital. How about you? No one's allowed to have a wyvern unless…" and I was just reminded of Heath's armor—a standard Bern wyvern knight armor.

"Uh, yes, I'm a wyvern knight…" he said. "Or more like, former wyvern knight… Now I'm no knight, just a wanted fugitive. It's a long story."

I can tell he didn't want to talk about it. So I asked, "Do you know a woman named Anko?"

"Anko? No…"

"Oh." That was odd. Anko seemed to make ridiculing the wyvern knights her personal hobby, so it was odd that Heath didn't hear of her at least once.

"…Do you want to be a wyvern knight again?"

He was puzzled, but he answered. "It depends on what kind of wyvern knights Bern would have this time."

"I hear they're pretty horrible," I admittedly told him. Knowing someone like Anko, I knew every possible insult one could tell of the wyvern knights. "All talk and boast without really living up to it… Is that why you left?"

"You can put it that way, yeah," he said. But I can tell he really didn't want to speak about it much.

---------------

Eventually we spotted the group on the ground, and so we finally landed on solid ground. While ships didn't scare me, the whole flight thing startled me, so I almost kissed the ground when we landed. It was also great that we didn't get lost or anything—while the lords made sure Heath had a map and they had told him of the path they were taking, Heath was new to Lycian terrain. I worried we'd be lost, but apparently the guy had a good sense of direction. Heath told me that sense of direction was something wyvern knights needed. Flying in the air and all that.

When we landed, the three lords immediately rushed to me, Lyn most notable. "Kumi!" she called as she helped me down the wyvern. And surprisingly, she hugged me. "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!"

"O-Of course!" I said as she pulled away. "I'm… still a little tired, but I got here in one piece, at least." And then I tapped Heath lightly on the shoulder, and said, "He's great with directions, and he took good care of me!"

Heath just gave a small shrug.

"I thought you'd never make it!" Lyn said. "Well, Hector made a mistake drawing the map, so we've been really worried…"

"Hey!" Lord Hector said in the background. "Let me just remind you that I'm not trained to draw maps, darn it! Not my fault Matthew was nowhere to be found…"

I haven't even heard of a mistake on the map. Heath shrugged again, and fished out the map from a bag and handed it to Lyn. "Yes, my lady, I saw the error, but it was nothing. I am, well, generally good with finding my way around places. Not very difficult when you are on a flying mount…"

"Thankfully," Lyn said. And then she whispered to me, "I heard a few things from Matt as well, and I know you're tired. So try to get some rest along the way…"

"I'm fine now," I assured Lyn, or at least I tried to. Parts of the events last night still won't leave my mind. I smiled, just to assure her. "Don't worry about me. You guys already gave me enough rest. Let's continue the march."

------------------

"Kumiko."

I looked up, and it was Rath. I gave him a weary smile. The sun was high and walking was becoming tiring. "Hello, Rath."

"You look tired. Do you want a ride?" He tugged on the reins of his nomadic horse, making the horse stop as if he was making me get on.

"Oh, thank you but that would be embarrassing…" I told him. "You have to give your horse some rest, later on we might need him to pull on the cargo…"

"_Her_," he corrected me, and then lifted me up my feet and put me on the horse. Agh. I was getting so lightweight that even Rath could lift me. Wait, even Legault or Matt can.

The horse picked up the pace and moved, and Rath led it by its reins. Being on a horse there were many things I could see: Guy and Matt talking, Bartre carrying a sleeping Nils, Raven helping Rebecca restring a bow (that was something!), Dorcas and Merlinus making sure none of the supplies fall over, Lord Eliwood leading Ninian by the arm (that was something, too!), Legault and Lady Isadora talking (again, something! But I'm glad for once there's someone who doesn't think badly of Legault for being Fang), Wil giving Hyperion, Heath's wyvern, a carrot, Lowen and Sir Marcus talking… things like that. If I looked for anyone I could find exactly what they were doing…

Erk was walking alone, reading a book. I turned my head away and poured my concentration to Rath.

"Where've you been, Rath?" I asked. "Did you return to Sacae?"

"No. I've only spent some time wandering as a mercenary."

"Oh." Sounds boring. He didn't even return home. "Why not? Won't your people miss you?"

"They won't," Rath said, his tone ending the conversation.

So he wasn't on good terms with his home? I can tell, like Heath didn't like talking of his past, Rath didn't like it, too.

I leaned closer to the horse and put my arms around its neck. "There, there… what's her name, Rath?"

"Sue," Rath answered.

"Sue…" I ran my fingers into the horse's hair, which was unbelievably smooth. Rath must take good care of his horse.

There was silence. Lowen tripped over something and yelped. He should cut his hair, Sir Marcus said.

The march proceeded, and I don't know how, but I fell asleep on Rath's horse.

------

I woke up due to the sweltering heat, and goodness, my robes were soaked. I straightened, my back hurting from being slouched for so long. I found that I was still on Rath's horse, his hand on my back holding me all the while as if to help me balance. He must have kept close watch on me all the while.

"Thanks, Rath," I said, and then turned to the scene before me.

God.

Sand, sand, and more sand.

The area before me was filled with endless gold sand, melding together, with soft tips and tops as if a huge sea, complete with heat waves in the air. The heat was like hell—I reached into my bag, taking out my canteen and regretting not having more water. I drank conservatively, and got down the horse.

"Bah! Even the enemies would laugh at the thought of wearing armor now!" Sain cried out, stripping his breastplate off him.

"Sain! Don't do that—the enemies might suddenly—"Kent tried to scold, but I wouldn't blame Sain—it was so hot!

The area where we stood at was still grass, but the area ahead as was vast desert. We were standing at its edge, just where the desert began, but it was still hell hot. It would be great relief to rain, but that would be highly impossible, even if we did a rain dance.

"Let's move on," Lord Hector said, as he tugged the neckline of his clothes to pull the saturated clothing off his skin, even for a brief while.

We trudged on, walked on towards the sand. No sooner the problems began to arise—the horses began wildly neighing.

"Wh-What's going on?!" Lyn yelled at those who were holding their horses.

"This is nothing!" Sain yelled, but there was obviously problem. The horses were panicking, since their footing was loose. It was no fun walking on sand, too—it constantly shifted underneath our feet… it was like walking the plank.

Rath, however, didn't have much issues. I remember he said then that nomadic horses are better with the rain. They must be better with the sand, too.

"We should stop for a while," I told Lord Hector. "Obviously we have a lot of troubles. We can't drag the entire group across the sand searching for… that living legend thing, right? We have flying units, right?"

He paused for a brief while, and then said. "Damn it, you're right! Why did all of us even step into this sandpit? Sometimes having a tactician proves its worth, even if it means Ostia's treasury is going to be bled dry right after this campaign."

I made a face. "What's that supposed to mean? I won't charge that high. Getting paid doesn't matter so long as we save the world."

"You're right," he said, and called, "Wyvern! Pegasus!"

Heath, Florina, and Fiora stepped forward towards us from the group.

"Survey the desert if there's someone or something intriguing out there." Lord Hector said, and the three spurred to action. But before Florina could get on her Pegasus, Fiora stopped her. "Stay here, Florina," she said. "You're tired from the heat. I'll take care of this." Florina almost protested, but Fiora turned to me and Lord Hector and said, "Is that alright, my lord?"

"Alright," Lord Hector said. True, Florina didn't look that well, she might pass out in the air. "Florina, stay here. Get some rest. You two. Return safely."

Heath and Fiora nodded, and soon they set off.

------

I sat underneath the shade of the supplies, watching people come and go, wiping sweat, taking off cloaks and parts of their clothes that could be taken off. I knew Lord Hector itched to get rid of his armor, but he kept it on. I knew he was worried that the enemies might come and catch him naked of any armor. I'm glad I didn't have to wear such things. I took my hair, released it from its usual braids, and started tying it up to a ponytail, away from my face and my neck.

Lord Hector lifted Nils and carried him on his shoulders, much to Nils fright. Lyn laughed on in the background. Lord Eliwood was leading Ninian by the arm again (Aha!). The only thing that kept Sain from being shirtless was that sand would stick to his sweaty skin. Legault was sitting on his cloak, as he took the thing off himself. Raven, Priscilla, and Lucius were together, sharing their water. Dart and Rebecca were actually sharing a sandwich. Things like that were happening in the group. The only person acting odd was Canas—kneeling on the sand and digging around. What in the world was he doing?

Pretty soon Heath and Fiora returned, both quickly jumping from their mounts. The lords came to greet them, and I ran towards them, too. But before any of us could say anything, Heath said, "There's a lone man being ganged up on by a crowd of bandits nearby!"

"Let's help him! I dislike seeing someone facing overwhelming odds!" Lyn immediately said, then running off a little to see if she could spot the man.

"Hold on, Lyn! I'm going with you!" Lord Hector ran after Lyn, his armor clanking all the way.

We watched on. Ninian and Nils were also nearby, and Nils remarked, "Where do they get all that energy? Unbelievable."

Ninian turned to Lord Eliwood. "...What will you do?"

"Let's go!" Lord Eliwood said, tugging on Ninian's hand and taking a step towards Lyn and Hector. "Have to keep up with one's friends, right?"

So they actually set off. I turned to Heath and Fiora, and asked, "There aren't that many bandits, are there?"

Heath and Fiora glanced at each other, and then Heath said, "Well, we couldn't really tell because of the sandstorm…"

S-Sandstorm?!

"What sandstorm?!" I asked, nervously.

"T-That sandstorm!" Someone behind me, Wil, yelled and pointed to something before us.

Which was the sandstorm, dangerously making its way toward us. It carried millions of particles of sand and dust into the air, obstructing vision and basically obstructing everything.

………

Gods, help me, a sandstorm!

"E-Everyone, gather around here!" I yelled, and each and every one of us nervously got up and got together and huddled together as a group. Even the lords and Ninian and Nils retraced their steps to retreat from the incoming sandstorm. The angry sandstorm then reached us, and someone yelled, "Hold on to someone, anyone! Let's not get separated!"

The wind was raging mad, sand was being blown everywhere, the skies were dark. I closed my eyes, trying to avoid anything from entering my eyes, and firmly planted my feet on the ground. The wind was still strong. I almost got blown off, but someone took hold of my arm and pulled on me, helping me.

"W-We're being ambushed!" someone, who I made out to be Legault, actually screamed.

"What?!" That was Lord Hector.

"He's right, my lord!" Matthew confirmed. My eyes were still closed, still clinging to someone's arm. "I spot some moving shadows in the distance!"

I forced one eye open, but I couldn't see anything in the background at all. Matt and Legault were still so skilled to be able to make out something in this situation. I closed both eyes again.

"Wait, where are the rest?!"

"They must've been separated in the sandstorm!"

That did it. I forced both eyes open and took in the scene. I was clinging onto Oswin, who was holding onto me protectively. Lord Hector was doing the same to Nils. There was Lyn, Wil, Rath, Heath and Fiora, Matt and Legault, Guy and Serra and Canas. That was everyone.

"Blast!"Lord Hector could help but scream it. "What are we going to do in this… Kumiko, do you have a plan?!"

"What are our goals, my lord?!" Every word was a scream, as that was the only way to be heard. My mouth then tasted like sand.

"Find that man, and make sure those enemies don't ambush us!"

"It's hard to make a plan in these circumstances! And hard to scream orders, too! But it's best we just move while staying together so the enemies don't catch us so easily, and send one of the thieves to find the others! They're practically blind in this mess!

---

It was hard to admit that the current situation couldn't possibly use a strategy. Order was hard to maintain as the sandstorm ravaged against us, making it hard to speak, and if you spoke your mouth would be later be filled with sand. The wind and the shifting sand made it harder to move, and vision was close to nothing. The only strategy would be to fight like your life and the entire world depends on it.

Lord Hector and Oswin practically took ages to move, armor and all. The thieves were doing better compared to the others, and Serra and Canas' ability to move was just incredible with the given circumstances.

Legault went off to find the others. I worry that he's alone, but I trust him, and he dismissed escorts for the fact that they might just slow him down, or attract unnecessary enemies. While most of the group still didn't socialize with him, there was just about no doubting his loyalty and skills now.

Our group didn't attract a lot of enemy attention for a while, but then the first arrow and fire spell was lunged at us, and the sound of wyverns in flight came. Wil narrowly avoided getting burned, while the arrow was lucky to hit Sir Oswin's armor, which just deflected the bloody thing.

"Northeast!" Matt screamed, seeing enemies we couldn't. Wil peered deep through the storm and released an arrow, but the harsh winds threw it off course. He immediately tried to make another shot, but Rath beat him at it. Canas then used a Flux spell at the direction of an enemy I couldn't see. My eyes hurt from the sand that occasionally got in it.

"Mage down, archer down!" Matt announced, almost casually. Whew.

This has got to be one of the hardest battles we've been faced with.

------

"I can't see a blessed thing!" Raven's scream was swallowed by the sandstorm. Behind him were Lucius and Priscilla and Priscilla's horse, which Raven was leading by the reins. The horse was not cooperating with him, however. It screamed and one time almost kicked him down, and it constantly neighed, which he worried would attract enemy attention. There were definitely enemies, and they knew that. Raven had to get the sleeve of his shirt singed to know.

_Bloody sandstorm. Bloody sand. Bloody uncooperative horse._

The horse or some other unknown force was actually making him lag behind, as Lucius and Priscilla seemed to have no difficulty moving in the sand, and they constantly turned back to him to wait for him. It was then that he saw it—a figure, starting as a shadow, that charged towards Priscilla, blade in his hand.

"Priscilla!" Raven screamed, and ran for his sister. But then he tripped since his hand was still tangled in the horse's reins. Lucius immediately shoved Priscilla aside, and took in a sword wound through his shoulder. Priscilla gasped, and Lucius managed to use a Shine spell, its blinding light setting the enemy off guard.

Raven untangled his hand with a curse, and buried his blade in the enemy before he could recover from the Shine spell. The remaining three were then breathless from the shock of the incident. But then Lucius grasped his bleeding wound, and Priscilla immediately set to healing him.

"We definitely need to find the others," Raven said. "This accursed storm makes that hard, though…"

"I pray it subsides…" Lucius said.

"That's all you can think of doing? Pray?" Raven snapped, but in a second realized his words. "I'm sorry." He hated to admit that the sandstorm had even his blood boiling.

He turned to Priscilla's horse, and asked, "Can we leave this behind?"

"Brother, we are not leaving my horse behind," Priscilla said, as she healed Lucius. "Please. He was with me ever since I left Caerlon…"

When Lucius was all healed, Raven grudgingly took the horse's reins, and they moved on again.

----

"Kent! Please, Kent, you have to help me!" Sain pleaded as he dug and dug in the sand with his hands. Kent was on his horse, and holding Sain's horse by its reins. "Kent! Have mercy!"

"Someone has to look out for the enemies!"Kent said. "Besides, I told you not to take off your armor!"

Sain continued to desperately dig around the sand, armor-less, as when the sandstorm came it immediately covered the armor he had left lying on the ground. _Gods, why did I even leave it on the sand?!_

Kent kept an alert watch at the surroundings, but was unable to keep his mind from wandering. Two women came to his mind—Lady Lyndis and the Pegasus Knight, Fiora. _I hope they're safe._

That was why it was almost late when he saw it—an arrow towards Sain at lightning speed.

"Sain!" 

"I found it!"

Kent tried to get his horse to move to push Sain aside, but before he knew it, the arrow had hit Sain's breastplate, which he had raised to his head.

Sain blinked at the sight of the arrowhead that protruded through his armor. And sighed a sigh of relief, since it seemed the Luck Goddess was on his side. "Alright, where's that fool?!" He asked Kent as he jumped on his horse, and put his armor over himself.

"Must've gotten away!" Kent said as he struggled to get his horse to move. Sain had the same problem, as their horses moved onwards, but at awful speed.

"It's going to take us ten years to find the others!" Sain said.

"Maybe. Our best hope is that this sandstorm leaves!"

-----

"Oh no! What are we gonna do?! Waaah!! Waaah!! This is awful!!" Merlinus screamed about as he tried in vain to keep the flaps over the supply wagon, and the supplies, in their proper places against the strong wind. "Gods, help us!"

Dorcas and Bartre helped to their best, but the wind was by far an awful enemy. Then Bartre spotted a shadow in the shape of what seemed to be a house in the distance.

"I see a house!"

A house in the middle of a desert was highly unlikely, so Dorcas said, "Make sure you're not hallucinating, friend. We have water if you need a drink." Thankfully, Dorcas thought, they were with the supplies so they wouldn't have to worry about food or water.

"No, pal, I mean it!" Then Bartre pointed to the silhouette. "Do you think I'm lying?!"

Merlinus and Dorcas stared hard at the direction Bartre pointed, and true enough, the shadow of what seemed to be a house was revealed.

"W-What in the world would a house be doing here?!" Merlinus said.

"Some people like living secluded," Dorcas answered. "But… it would be great if we could get inside, as to protect the supplies from the sandstorm."

"What if it's the enemy's…?" Bartre asked.

Dorcas answered, "…Then we have to fight."

-----

"How are we going to find the others?" Rebecca asked, tone worried to the brink of panic.

"Pure luck, I guess!" Dart yelled, one hand lugging a pegasus by the reins. He had been unlucky to lose the great-tasting sandwich Rebecca made to the sandstorm. "But this sure ain't gonna be that easy… Hey, how are you holding up, Pegasus?"

"I-I'm alright…" Florina said, weakly. A cut on her arm was still bleeding red. She had taken to the sand-tainted skies, but had been hit by an archer. It was good that the sand broke her fall. Rebecca was helping her walk, since they thought that if Dart was the one to carry her, an enemy might charge at them, and their only capable close-fighting combatant would be hassled.

"You may say so, girlie, but we definitely need to see a healer!" Dart said. "Where's that noisy cleric girl when you need her?!"

----------

"Finding Lord Eliwood is our top priority!" Marcus shouted though the storm. He was with the two other knights of Pherae, Isadora and Lowen. "But this blasted storm isn't helping any…"

"If he is with Lord Hector and the majority, there is nothing to worry about…" Lowen said.

"The problem is, I doubt that he's with the majority!" Marcus said, almost enraged. "I saw him with Lady Ninian before the storm, and when it came, they didn't make it to the majority!"

"Then it would be Lord Eliwood and a defenseless girl…" Isadora said.

They were silent, thinking of the gravity of the situation, when Marcus saw a dark shadow running towards them at great speed. "There's someone there!" Marcus yelled.

The horses failed to move, and the figure reached them, actions still very quick and nimble. Marcus attacked with his lance but it missed, and Lowen tried to attack as well, but his horse panicked and caused him to knock Isadora off her horse. Her horse wildly kicked in the air and let out a wild shriek, stepping over the enemy's cloak and causing him to fall down as well, over the blue-haired paladin.

Marcus and Lowen were quick to their feet to point their weapons at the enemy, but he spoke, "Not so fast! I've got the lady with me!"

Lowen visibly shuddered at the thought of an enemy taking Isadora hostage, but her face turned red at the face of the body over hers—it was Legault, offering her a smirk.

"You--!" She frantically tried to get up, and as a result, she knocked his forehead hard with the metal of her breastplate.

"Ow!!" He pulled away from her and rubbed on his forehead. "That hurt."

"M-Master Legault… we thought you were an enemy." Isadora said.

"As I've heard hundreds of times," Legault said.

"You should trade your dark cloaks for something brighter then, sir," Lowen said. "It why we mistake you for the enemies."

"You should cut your hair," was Legault's reply. He then got up and dusted himself, and looked around. "W-Wait! The Lord Eliwood isn't with you Pherae knights?!"

They sadly shook their heads.

"He must be with the dancer, then," Legault said. "If you want to find him, let me help you. I'm good with seeing things."

Marcus looked like he didn't want to trust the thief, and Lowen looked unsure, but Isadora just said, "Alright."

Legault started moving, but then looked back when the mounted knights weren't making much progress. _Those horses are gonna be a drag. This is the rare instance where a thief is faster than a horse, and no matter how I hate horses, I wish they'd just cooperate with their owners juuust this once._

_-----_

"Lord Eliwood…"

"Don't worry, Ninian." Eliwood didn't let go of the dancer's hand, as he assisted her through the sand. The sandstorm was beginning to mellow, and Eliwood knew that was a good sign. An onslaught of enemies have attacked them, and Eliwood couldn't believe how he survived.

Ninian eyed the wound on Eliwood's side that was staining his clothes a dark red. She had applied first aid to it, but she was pretty sure a healer must be found.

Eliwood noticed her looking at his wound, and he assured her with a weak smile, "It's going to be alright. The magic in your dances has made me endure this. And once we find the others, I'm sure…"

His words faded when he suddenly realized that they were standing underneath a shadow of something. It would have been a relief, but he realized that there was nothing on that vast desert that could possibly offer that. He turned around, and found something surprising—a huge man, hair golden, upper body exposed, tribal necklaces resting on his chest. Beside him, Eliwood felt like he was standing before a tower.

The person was looking down at him, face as solid as a stone. Then the person looked at Ninian—and Eliwood noticed that the person was slightly surprised to see the dancer, his expression seeming to soften as well.

Still, Eliwood backed away, and protectively drew Ninian closer. "Who are you?" he asked.

The person looked back at him, and spoke as solidly as his expression. "I am Hawkeye, the guardian of this desert. There are trespassers in this land, and I must get rid of them. I do not mean you and your group. You are my master's guests. So I will do the fighting. Guests shouldn't fight."

Hawkeye then walked onward, to meet what Eliwood made out to be enemy cavaliers. Eliwood almost ran over to offer his help, but his wound suddenly stung him, and he crouched to the ground. But then he saw Hawkeye deal with the enemies—one great swing from his huge axe was all it took, and the enemies were dead.

"…Amazing… such strength…" Eliwood whispered to himself.

Then he noticed that Ninian was staring at Hawkeye. "Is anything wrong, Ninian? Is there something you sense?" Eliwood asked.

Ninian snapped, and shook her head. "Nothing, my lord. …That man. We would do well to rely on him."

--------

"Someone! Anyone!" Erk screamed, though he had told himself time and again that it was useless, and it would only serve to attract the enemies. But he couldn't help it. He had been through much---his clothes were a display of rags and tatters, testament to how many enemies had tried to stick him.

But his clothes weren't what mattered to him. There were other things. Firstly, he had just used up and drank up his vulnerary. His Thunder tome was on the brink of collapse, and the harsh sandstorm only redirected his fire spells, making them ineffective. It was a double-edged sword—the wind makes the fire spread faster, but alternately it could go in a direction he did not want and end up scorching him. He had not yet mastered Fimbulvetr—that one spell he wished he knew as of the moment, as the heat was horrible and his water had just ran out.

And then someone screamed, "Jasmine, look, there's someone there!"

"Where, Paul?! I don't see it!"

"I see it! That red cloak!"

Erk then turned around—and saw two huge bandits, their heads shaven and dyed red and blue, their hungry axes catching the glint of light, their smiles maliciously gleeful, running straight towards him.

-----

"Kumiko!" Rath warned, and I knew he meant that I should look out. There had been a barrage of mages, archers, and wyvern knights--godsblasted wyvern knights!—and the storm has not yet subsided. The fire spell towards me was coming at incredible speed that I didn't know how to evade it!

And then my foot got caught in something in the sand, and I tripped. "Gaaah!!"

The fire attack proceeded towards Sir Canas' direction, but in an instant I saw a flicker of blue before him, and that dissuaded the fire spell, just like that.

I spit out the sand in my mouth, and I found Sir Canas holding out a hand to me to help me up. I took it, and got up to look at what in the world have I tripped on.

There it was, in the sand---a black book of some kind. Not my logbook—my logbook was now bound in metal. Sir Canas found it and picked it up from the ground, wiping the sand away from it.

And when he seemed to have found something satisfying with the book, he got up and squealed. And almost hugged me.

"This is a great dark tome! There are only limited copies of this in the world!!"

"Great," I said, "but why is it in the sand, then?"

"The Nabata wasteland is a bit of a paradise to magic adepts. Stories tell of the many magical artifacts lost in these sands. I'll keep my eyes open. Of course, I'll be fighting as well." But the smile on his face seemed to tell me that he was going to be searching for treasures all day.

-----

"Hello," the young girl behind the door greeted Dorcas and Bartre, then blinking innocently at them. She was so small, maybe about six, Dorcas thought, with bright pink hair.

"Hello," Dorcas said. "…Where are your parents?"

"They're not here," she said. "I'm watching house all by myself. Do you know how to do that? You have to sit and be good."

"I know how to do that!" Bartre said, almost jovially. "We can help you watch the house!"

"That would be nice, but you're strangers! And Hawkeye told me not to talk to strangers."

Merlinus cut in before either of the axemen could speak. "Listen, kid! There's a sandstorm raging outside and it's about to eat up all of our supplies! We need someplace to secure them so they don't get blown away in the storm!"

The girl blinked again. "Why didn't you say so!"She opened the door all the way, letting them inside. "You seem like good fellows anyways, I can tell it."

---

Hours and hours passed in the blistering desert, and certain things have happened. Our group met up with Sain and Kent, and Rebecca, Dart, and Florina. Thankfully we have—Florina needed healing, and if we hadn't met up, I don't know what would have happened to them. Fiora was so worried of her younger sister, and was so relieved that Florina finally got the healing she needed.

But… we still don't know where the others are. Hopefully they've met up with each other, and those who needed healing have seen Priscilla… I'm not sure how many enemies there are, but judging for the massive onslaught we fought, there were many. There were especially a lot of mages, archers, and wyvern knights, which was horrible for our group. I hope the others are okay…

I saw a familiar wyvern in the skies, and knew it was Heath coming back for his report. I'm glad he seemed unscathed from that distance—wyvern knights are incredible vulnerable to the mages and archers that the enemy has. He landed a safe distance from us, so all the sand that would go up in the air as he went down would not get into our eyes. When he was well on the sand, Lyn and Lord Hector and I were immediately on him.

"The lone man is just up ahead," Heath reported. "I admit he's doing fairly well for being able to last this long, but he's slightly wounded, and the enemies are really at him…"

"Just up ahead?" Lyn asked for confirmation. Heath nodded. "Alright, then we've got to get there as soon as we can…"

"Enemies coming!" Rebecca and Wil called almost at the same time. Darn it. Everyone stirred from their little break, and got back to action.

-----

"Hey there, look a little to the north, I think I can make out a certain red-haired lord…"

The three cavaliers looked to where Legault indicated, and in a second there was a chorus of "Lord Eliwood!"

And the next thing Legault knew is that the three horse-mounted knights made an immediate gallop to the Pheraean lord, leaving him behind to literally eat sand. He couldn't figure how even the horses got enough inspiration by the sight of Lord Eliwood to ride well and get good footing, but they did.

The thief decided to just follow, trying to spit out the sandy taste in his mouth as he did so. And finally they fully met up with Eliwood and Ninian.

"Lord Eliwood!" The three knights gasped when they realized that Eliwood's clothes were stained red.

"…It's not that bad…" the lord said, but the weakness in his voice stated that he had been enduring the pain for long.

The knights immediately dismounted, and Isadora immediately fished out an elixir. She carefully tried to tend to Eliwood, and Ninian helped her. Eliwood flinched not because the elixir stung, but because the sand in the wind kept getting into his wound.

"You need proper medical attention quickly, my lord," Marcus said. And then he turned to Legault. "Legault, have you seen either Serra or Priscilla?"

"Serra's with a large group, with the Lord Hector and Lady Lyn," Legault said, as he looked through the sandstorm to figure if he could find anything useful. "That's quite a distance from here. Priscilla's our best shot, but I haven't seen her yet…"

"Did you run into the thugs, Lord Eliwood?" Isadora asked as she continued fixing the lord's wound.

"We ran into Black Fang," Eliwood said. "The ones Heath and Fiora spotted appeared to be bandits, correct? But there are Fang as well…"

"We really have to regroup," Lowen said. "It's good that you were able to hold up, my lord."

"There was actually someone who came to help us," Ninian said, "But we lost him in this storm…"

Legault was looking up to the skies with one eye shut, and it seemed to him that the storm was clearing, even if little. "Looks to me that this thing is mellowing down. That'll make it easier for me to spot things. And for us to finish this battle."

------

"Yeah! There he is!" Matt announced, as he excitedly pointed to something. Earlier I wouldn't even dare open my eyes to figure what he meant, but the sandstorm has simmered down a little. And I saw Matt pointing to a figure with gray-silver hair, with velvet cloaks whipping in the wind. He was too nice-looking to be one of the enemies.

"That's the man being ganged up on by the bandits," Fiora said.

When Lyn and Lord Hector heard that, they went on to meet the man, who seemed to have also spotted us and went towards our direction. I hurried to keep up with the lords, to see what was going on.

The man was most regal looking in his clothes, velvet and deep purples outlined with gold, and there was something in the way he stood as well. He was stained with blood in places, but not soaked, and while he seemed tired he still seemed to maintain some grace. His face didn't seem so old, but his hair was all grayish and he gave us a critical look, as if studying us.

We were silent for a while. And Lord Hector was the one who broke that, by awkwardly saying, "Uhm… Hello."

The man looked even more puzzled. "Hello as well, then," he said.

Lyn jumped to the point. "Our scouts told us earlier that you were being harassed by bandits. We thought we'd lend a hand…"

"Which is obviously unnecessary," Lord Hector muttered as he looked around the surroundings, clear of any living enemy.

The man heard it. He gave an easy smile, and I concluded he was a noble, definitely. The type I don't like to associate myself with, I don't know yet. "I appreciate it," he said. Then he held up a tome—and Elfire tome, and said, "Magic tomes don't last forever. I believe there are still some remaining, and I'm nearly exhausting my tome. I'm glad your assistance came."

"Well then, should we join forces?" Lyn said. "It would be easier that way."

"It would be my pleasure to join you for now."

---------------

"Lady Priscilla!"

The knights of Pherae with Eliwood, Ninian, and Legault were excited at the sight of Priscilla with Raven and Lucius, and immediately made a dash towards them. Priscilla and Lucius were as delighted, while Raven kept his usual face on, still holding the reins of Priscilla's horse in one hand.

"Thank goodness we found you, my lady," Marcus immediately said when they met with Raven's group. He jumped down from his horse, as the other two mounted knights did, and immediately ushered Lord Eliwood to Priscilla. "Please, my lady. Lord Eliwood is wounded. If you may heal him…"

Priscilla would have immediately said yes, but she just clutched her staff to her chest and looked uncertain.

"W-What's the matter, Lady Priscilla?" Lowen asked nervously. "Y-You can heal him, can't you?"

Priscilla remained silent. It was then that Legault noticed that there was red seeping into the blue of Raven's shirt, and Raven was clutching that part. "…Lady Priscilla, you're almost exhausting your staff, and Raven's—"

"Heal him, Priscilla," Raven cut in before Legault could finish. "This isn't causing me much trouble. We've put first aid on it."

"We just used a little vulnerary!" Priscilla argued.

Eliwood said, "Well, this isn't much trouble either…"

"But you can barely stand on your own," Raven said. True enough, the knights were helping Eliwood stand up. "Priscilla, heal him."

"Alright…"

So Priscilla walked over to Eliwood, and used healing magic to heal him. With the light from her staff, Eliwood's wound slowly recovered and closed itself. She then cleaned up the wound, and while it closed, it left a scar on the lord's body, because it wasn't able to be healed immediately. As she finished this, her staff cracked, and lost its shine. She was hoping it'd last a little longer so she could use it on Raven…

And then Isadora suddenly screamed, "Enemy!"

The huge axeman with blue shaven hair charged towards Raven, whose back was turned on him. Raven quickly turned around, let go of the horse, and took his blade—but not quickly enough, because of his wound—and the enemy's axe bit into his shoulder.

Raven let out a scream as the enemy pulled out his axe, as Priscilla's horse let out a frightened neigh and hid away behind the other horses. Priscilla almost ran to Raven, but was quickly ushered aside by the knights.

Before anyone could move, Lucius chanted, "Shine!" And he cast a Light magic spell that suddenly bathed the place in blinding white light. The enemy was stunned, and the knights and Legault took this as chance to gang up on the enemy.

When the enemy was well and gone, they all turned to Raven. He was lying on the ground, the sand beneath him all red, his breathing was heavy. Priscilla and Lucius looked near to tears. But Raven just breathed out, "…I'm… fine…", and closed his eyes.

--------------

"W-What in the world is this madman?!"

Lord Hector was furious that there was actually someone in the world who could match his skill with an axe. More than that, that person was actually a huge brute in pink clothes and with pink hair who goes around calling himself Jasmine, the leader of the bandits. And more than that, he can actually take on Lord Hector, Sir Oswin, and Guy at the same time. And before that, he didn't even wince at Rebecca and Wil's arrows, badly injured Dart, almost made Canas into pulp, so on and so forth. Gah, why doesn't lightning just hit him?!

I watched on in the background, as did others. Serra was busy running around and healing our group—that one Jasmine fellow has actually done a good deal of damage to all of us. The gray-haired-regal-looking-man was helping, too—he can use tomes and staves! Isn't that handy. But if Jasmine weren't a large axeman brute with pink hair declaring world domination, I would actually think of hiring him into our group. He's definitely proven that he's not the normal thug…

He evaded another attack from Lord Hector, which made Lord Hector awkwardly fall face first into the sand. He then turned to Lord Oswin, meeting the knight's attack by targeting the lance and actually halving it in half. Good thing Lord Oswin's armor protected him from the attack that followed after.

"Lord Hector, pick yourself up!" I screamed. "Lord Oswin, retreat a little! Your weapon puts you at a disadvantage! Guy, go for the---"

Before I could finish the words, Guy charged in at Jasmine, trying to land an attack, but he barely connected, only giving the axeman a slice on the arm. Guy was luckily able to avoid the counterattack, and when he realized this, he smiled, and I could tell he was just thinking, "Hey, I could do this!" While the Jasmine fellow was fast, his heavy weapon puts him at a disadvantage, making Guy a little faster. Now Guy just needs to score a good hit on a vital area…

Jasmine stopped to look at his wound, and said, in a somewhat childish voice, "I knew it! You guys were bad! Now I'm getting really angry!"

"Just go for it, Guy!"

"Wait, you--! Don't go for it yet!" It was Matt, suddenly interrupting. He almost ran into the battle scene, but I blocked his way.

"What is it?" I asked. "Why shouldn't Guy go for it?"

"Look at his ring, Kumi," Matt said. I did, and saw Jasmine's silver ring with a red stone. I blinked. A Guiding Ring. I heard it gives magic users great powers, and I actually realized that the gray-haired-regal-looking-man was also wearing one.

"What, don't tell me Jasmine is a mage now?"

"No, I don't think so. He probably just stole it and is wearing it around for no reason. Or to attract thieves, like me! Let me steal it!"

I was closely watching Guy and the Jasmine person. Guy evaded again, and gave a little minor wound to Jasmine again. "Steal it when he's dead!" I told Matt.

Matt blinked, and said, "Listen to yourself, Kumi. Battle really does change people. I thought you weren't fond of grave robbing?"

I fell silent. "T-That's not what I meant…"

And then Lord Hector, after recovering from his fall, gave a yell and a sudden attack towards Jasmine, who was preoccupied with Guy. Jasmine was surprised, but he managed to evade—but that exposed the opening Guy wanted, and just like that, Guy slashed at a critical area.

"I got hit, but it feels gooood..." Jasmine was saying as he fell to the sand. "These people are too strong, Paul..."

And he fell to the sand, dead.

-------

"So, am I gonna take it, or not?"

Matt and I stood above Jasmine's body, the sand beneath him bloody red. I glanced at his Guiding Ring.

"He was a great fighter," I said.

"And?"

"I think we should leave his ring there."

"Moral wins over you, huh?" Matt said. "He probably stole it to begin with, so why don't we take it back? He won't be using it in death."

"Matt, you're being like some devil in my ear."

"Sorry," he immediately apologized. "I just thought it'd be a waste… that ring's expensive and hard to come by, you know…"

"I know," I said.

I almost walked away, but then he said, "…It'll look good on Erk. I think he'd like a Guiding Ring."

"Matt, that doesn't change anything. Leave it there." And I walked away.

------

Soon the sandstorm cleared, and we were relieved that the enemies were cleared as well. We were surprised to see the state of that part of the desert, however—it turned into some wasteland, with dead bodies and mounts. Our group went along, searching for the others, hoping that they weren't lying on the ground as the dead enemies were.

There was a lone hawk in the air, circling our location, screeching as it flew, as if it were lost or looking for something. Lord Hector turned to me and asked, "You think that's supposed to mean something ill?"

"Like what?"

"Well, if even a bird can't find its way in this desert, what more of us?"

I tried to think positive. "There's no basis on that, my lord. And don't ask me—I'm a tactician, not a fortune teller. I'm not some expert on omens."

Then, all of a sudden, the huge bird actually made a dash—or a glide—towards me, as if it heard what I said. I almost made a mad dash away, too, but Sir Oswin was beside me, and he held me to keep me steady. "It's a messenger," he said. "Don't worry."

And the he was right, as the hawk peacefully flew to in front of me, and eventually rest on Sir Oswin's outstretched arm. The bird was probably wise enough to figure I was too small for him, and his claws would probably bite into my skin.

We stopped walking, and a few others gathered to see what the commotion was, but most were still busy looking around for the others. And true enough to Sir Oswin's words, the bird had a small piece of rolled parchment to its leg, along with an insignia.

Sir Oswin showed the small round engraved metal, and told me, "I assume this is for you then." The metal had Bern's Keep's insignia engraved into it.

"I'm not sure," I said. Last I recalled, the Tactician Guild didn't have messenger hawks. They were just too expensive. And why did Sir Alecto or Anko have to use Bern Keep's symbol?

"It's castle bred, I think," Matt said. I then noticed that he was behind me. "Look's strangely familiar, too… Maybe it already went to Ostia, once? We can't tell for sure that it's for Kumi. Maybe it really is from Bern's Castle…"

"Well, there's just one way to find out…" Lord Hector said. And we all knew that. Lord Oswin took the parchment, and rolled it.

He then handed it to me. "It's for you."

Puzzled, I rolled the parchment out and read it for myself. I instantly recognized Anko's drawl.

_Father's very sick, and I mean it seriously. Come home if you can, guys. Anko._

At the bottom of it were notes from the other members of the Tactician Guild, saying when they could go and they'll go right away. Knarrd and Miguel have yet to write, so it means the bird is yet to get to Etruria. I took a quill and immediately wrote down, too.

_My campaign's headed to Bern. I'll be there as soon as I can._

--------

We eventually met with the rest—with Lord Eliwood's group, and then a huge axeman who was even bigger than Lord Hector—Hawkeye—also turned up with Dorcas and Bartre and Merlinus and the supplies. Thank God the supplies were safe. But the air was quickly tense as there was something major on Raven, and Serra and gray-haired-regal-looking-man (who by the the way hasn't told us his name yet) immediately got to him. I was relieved when they announced that he was out of danger, but he couldn't fight that soon yet.

We sat on the sand, relieving ourselves, Lord Hector was doing the roll call to check if everyone was there. Lyn then sat beside me. "…You worried about your mentor?" she asked.

"Of course," I said. I couldn't help but be worried. While all my life I have never seen Sir Alecto sick, it's true that he was getting on in years, and for Anko to go this far… it must be something serious. "We have to get to Bern, fast," I said.

And then Lord Hector called out, "Erk?"

I didn't bother look around, only when there was no response. It was then that everyone looked around, panicked. "Erk?" Lord Hector called again, but again there was no response. "Damn it, we've lost one!"

People were quick to their feet to go and look around, but then Heath called out, "He's here!"

I almost breathed a sigh of relief, if only I didn't see that Heath meant a body on the sand with that wavy deep purple hair and those red cloaks, motionless, the sand beneath him all blood red.

…No. It can't be.

I was the first one to get up and run to him, screaming his name.

**End of Chapter.**

**-----**

**A/N:**

Gah, sorry for the late update! I had a long vacation, and school's just starting here at June 8. Hopefully that doesn't affect my future updates…

I figure the travel from Thria to Missur would be awfully long, so I added in a lot of side scenes (like I did in the ship to Valor). Also so you guys can check what's up and happening to the other characters.

I think that even if Legault and Matt weren't around to interrupt, Erk still won't be able to say his feelings.

I think the Erk-Kumi fans are going to be both happy that Erk had his moment and sad at the last scene. Fare thee well, Erk.

**Darkblaziken: **Your top five sounds pretty similar to mine. xD And yeah, Xarin doesn't really like Matt. O.o He's not her type of person. That sound like someone you know? Who? Is there actually someone in this world who doesn't like Matt?

**FEMewMew:** Sorry about the Rath thing, I sorta rushed the chapter to be updated since I don't think I updated for March. Hope the scenes here made up for it!

**Terran34:** Whoah, you are seriously great at the critique area. I didn't notice that part you said about Uther, about introducing him and new main characters, too, so awesome that you brought that to my attention. As for the battles and preps and all that, I know I sort of hasten them, since it's kind of hard to get to think of what could happen in between battles. I'm not good describing battle scenes, either. When I'm really lazy I try to haste everything up. Cuz when you type them out it seems that you've typed a lot, but when you read them out, you figure they weren't that long. -.- But I'll do extra better!


	30. Four Fanged Offense

-------------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: Four-Fanged Offense

-------------------------------------------------------------------

"_Anko! Anko!"_

_The thief almost scrambled away upon hearing the voice, but immediately decided against it, and remained sitting on the garden walls, examining her nails as if they mattered greatly. The person below the wall looked up to her and called her again, but she didn't bother look down to him._

_The boy below the wall almost pouted, and asked, "You didn't, by any chance, take Spencer from his cage? I believe he's missing, and if he is I can't go out to practice my falconry."_

_She still didn't look up from her nails. "Your falconry doesn't need that, my lord. I think you are well enough to go without practice, and no, I do not know where your beloved hawk is. And if I saw him I wouldn't know, since hawks look all the same to me."_

"_He has a small royal insignia tied to his leg," he said, "which means he belongs to me."_

"_Don't the hawk messengers have the same insignia? Maybe he got lost with them."_

"_Anko, we don't have messenger hawks. We have wyvern riders, and they're as quick," the boy explained, patiently. "So there's only one hawk in this continent with Bern's insignia, and that's my hunting hawk."_

_Anko laughed a little, and looked down to the boy's blonde hair. "Look at you ramble about a bird, my lord. How very king-like."_

_He flushed at the older girl's teasing and laughter, and said, "I… I don't think I would be king. Which, by the way, is not my point. If you think you've spotted Spencer…"_

"_I haven't," she said, plainly._

"_If you say so," he said. "Thank you." And he turned around, and began to walk away. As he did, Anko just smiled to herself. She had a lot of explaining to do later on._

_He somehow sensed her mischievous smiles, and he sharply turned back to her to catch her doing that—smiling as if she were hiding something. "You do know where he is!" he said._

_She laughed, and swayed her dangling legs from the wall. "Well, I guess I do. But don't worry, I haven't had him skinned and cooked. He's safe, and in due time your hawk will be back."_

_He looked suspicious, and then understanding. "If this is about your father, I've told you, you can bring it up to my father. He and your father were good friends. If he finds out about Sir Alecto, in no time Bern's best physicians will be at your doorstep."_

"_Which my father does not want," Anko explained, her face becoming serious. "He ended ties with your father, and he does not want to owe anything to him anymore. If your father helps him, he is afraid that would be used to get him back into service. I've seen countless of physicians and healers too, to no avail. Maybe it's only up to the gods now… But I've yet to give up."_

_There was silence, and he said, "I should visit him. He taught me a lot, and I missed him when he stopped coming to teach me. Would I be welcome in your home?"_

"_I wouldn't like it, but I think Father will," Anko answered. "But with your coming-of-age ceremony, do you really have time to visit, Prince Zephiel?"_

------------

"Oh, Erk! Erk! Oh, open your eyes, Erk!"

I rushed over to that still body on the sand, knelt to it, immediately took it to my lap. It was Erk. Gods, it really was Erk! I had hoped that it was another person, some random enemy with the same deep purple hair and red cloaks. But no. Gods, no! It was him. Tears ran down my cheeks.

"Erk! Erk! Oh, Erk!"

"Kumi! Step aside!" Heath and Lord Eliwood then tried to pull me away, and then I just realized that people were crowding around, trying to see what happened. I couldn't understand why Heath and Lord Eliwood were trying to drag me away, though. I couldn't understand at all!

"Why?! Why!" I screamed at Heath and Lord Eliwood. "This is all my fault! All _my _fault! And I can't do anything about it!"

"We have to look him over," Serra's voice said, and I looked up to see her face serious, for once. I can tell that she was holding in tears.

Priscilla was also there with her, holding a brand new Heal staff, but the way she shook her head gave away that she knew that staff wouldn't be much help.

Gray-haired regal looking man was there. He was as horrified as I was, uttering the same words that I have—"Gods, no". This is all one big trick that fate is playing on me! But then the gray-haired-regal-looking-man looked to me with some great amount of determination in his eyes, so much that it was shocking.

"Calm down," he said. "Don't worry. It may not be too late. We'll do what we can."

"But he's--!"

Lord Hector was also there, and he looked at gray haired regal looking man as intensely. "You say you'll do what you can, sir. Do what you need to. And all those who aren't involved! Move out of the way! Give him space!"

"Lord Hector…"

"Including you, Kumi," Lord Hector told me. "Let's leave it to them."

"I—I can't! Lord Hector, this is my fault! You can't let me leave him alone!"

I didn't want to leave Erk so much that Heath had to drag me away, kicking and screaming.

------

I was crying, pacing back and forth the healing tent, praying to the gods. I didn't know which one to pray to, though, and as I've never been the religious person, and I hadn't much use for the gods' names before except for cursing (Maybe that's not exactly me, but Anko). I walked back and forth, back and forth, impatiently.

Gah, one thousand silver pieces on the temple in Geneva if Erk lives.

"Kumi, calm down," Matt said. He and Legault and Heath were sitting a distance from me, probably more worried for how I acted than for Erk. I gave Heath a good kick on his knees and a slap on the cheek for dragging me away, and I knew I had to apologize, but that was for later. He didn't react much to it, anyways. For now… for now. Erk…

"How can I calm down?!" I screamed. "This is my fault! Isn't it?! If I hadn't got mad at him, hadn't forgotten about him in the middle of the fight, then, then--!"

"There's nothing you can do," Matt said. "You have to face it. There's nothing you can do. Leave this to the mages. They're doing their best."

What he said was very, very true, and the knowledge of that was frustrating. I dropped to the sand, before the three men. They all looked concerned. And then I looked at my dress, a show of how much blood he lost. The sandy green had turned to red, vivid, brilliant red.

There were a lot of people in the healing tent. A lot of space was needed, so much that Raven had to be pulled out and put in another place. The mercenary didn't complain at all, and he would always just say that he was okay. The way he walked and flinched gave away his pain, though.

Gray haired man was taking charge of everything, and the healers had followed him well so far. Aside from the healers, he's also called the other mages, like Canas and Lucius. For what reason, I'm not sure, but I do hope he knows what he's doing…

I wiped my tears away, and said, "I'm not getting mad at him ever again. I won't leave him, too."

"They do say it takes losing something or someone before you figure how much you love him," Legault said, but as if to the air, as he was looking at nothing in particular. Maybe thinking of someone?

I just nodded, and said, "You're right."

Matt then gave me a wide grin. "So you love him?"

What? I blinked. "Who?"

Matt and Legault both went 'gah' and gave groans of defeat, both almost sinking to the sand as if in defeat, too. I turned to Heath, who was still sitting properly, and answered me properly as well. "Erk," he said.

"Do I love Erk? Of course I do," I said, simply. "And I love all of you, too."

"No, no no!" Legault said, pounding the sand as he protested. "Not that kind of love! Love like… love! You know."

"You're beginning to sound like Sain," I told him. Matt gave a chuckle at my comment.

Legault groaned. "Love like how this blondie thief," Legault pointed to Matt, "loved that Leila girl. Love like what you see between Lord Eliwood and Ninian. Love like—"

"How I see in your manner towards Lady Isadora?"

Matt broke into laughter, and Heath gave a small knowing smile. So Heath notices some things too, even if he was only new. Legault just poked me on the forehead. "Nope. You're misunderstanding things, Kumi. And don't say that to your elders! What you see between the lady and me is just how a proper gentleman should treat women, there."

"_Proper gentleman_," Matt repeated as if he didn't believe Legault, still laughing, actually rolling on the sand in his laughter. What? Are the two friends now?

I drew my knees to my chest, and my thoughts drifted back to Erk again. "One thing's sure on my part, and it's that I don't want him to die. If he does I wouldn't know what to do."

----------------

Regal man actually called in Legault to the healing tent. Or more precisely, he looked out the tent and asked if we could get anyone with good hands. We didn't have to look anywhere else as the two thieves are with us, and I just asked what he needed.

He just gave me a small, tired smile. "We need to get in some stitches."

I neared tears again. Oh, the pain he was going to have to go through! Regal man must've seen my worry, since he said, "It's necessary".

"Can't you do something else? We have healers!"

"I understand that, and if I could, I wouldn't want to submit him to that pain, too," he said. "But kindly trust me on what I'm doing…"

"Why will I trust you!" I yelled. "We've just met you, and you're a stranger, and I don't even know your name!"

He looked taken aback and shocked that I yelled, but he was still understanding. He gave a sigh, and said, "…Erk is my student. I've taught him since he was a child. The gods know how I've treated him like my son."

I was shocked. He was…? "Y-You're Erk's mentor?"

He nodded. And then he continued to explain, "He's out of danger. But that required much effort from us, and we're nearly exhausting our magical capabilities. What he's in is not so simple; it's not a small wound and he's lost a lot of blood. Serra is the only one with enough expertise in the staff to even try to close Erk's wound, but that's not enough. I'm afraid it needs manual help, and… Please understand."

I was speechless. I stood there, still, looking like I wouldn't answer. Matt and Legault just exchanged glances, and Legault said, "I've got experience stitching wounds. I think I could do it."

"No objections," Matt said. "You do it."

Legault walked in the tent, and Regal man also added, "We'll need help, too, holding him down. You two would do well."

Heath and Matt walked in, and so they all disappeared to the tent. I was left there outside, still.

Matt then peeked out the tent, and said, "You want to come in?"

"I… I don't think I can handle it. And I'll only get in the way."

"And on the other hand, you can be there and give him support and make him feel stronger."

Matt had a point. And I owed it to Erk to do anything, so long as it would make him better.

-------

"…Kumiko?"

I smiled weakly. "Hi, Erk. It's me. Everything's fine now."

The major medical project had been so far successful. I was sitting with Erk, his head on my lap, in the supplies wagon. While the lords understood that we needed rest, they also knew that staying in the middle of nowhere in the desert was extremely dangerous. It was going to get awfully cold, too, and we didn't know if our supplies could last longer. Our water supply, most of all. So when Hawkeye and Regal man told us that there was actually a place that we can go to to stay in that could accommodate us all, the lords agreed to get moving.

Erk was so pale and looked so weak I couldn't help but be teary about it. Earlier Matt let me in the healing tent, and I was firsthand witness to what he went through. He was unconscious during the first healing part, but during the stitching, he was conscious. And so I was there, sitting beside him, holding his hand as I shut my eyes when Legault started his work. I couldn't—couldn't!—at all bear the scene of Legault stitching an awfully huge wound that ran across Erk's chest to his stomach. I figured that it was deeper before, but the healers have managed to get it restored to a safe level. They've done much. Lucius and Priscilla were in a corner of the tent, passed out from using too much magic. As Legault stitched, Erk screamed, and gripped my hand so tightly, and his body was resisting and I could tell part of him wanted to bloody get out of there, but Matt and Heath were on him. I couldn't help but cry, hearing him scream, but I just kept telling him then that it was going to be alright. When the work has been done, he properly passed out, and I could tell Legault wanted to as well. The thief was sweating buckets afterwards, shaking in the slightest, and he tried his best to hide it. During the whole thing, his hands were even slightly shivering. But Matt told him a big, "Get a grip on it or else I'll do it", and everything went fine from then on.

Canas then took time to explain to me the lengthy medical and magical process that went on to save Erk. It was too complicated that I couldn't even begin to understand it, but basically, Erk was almost dead when we found him, and they used great measures to heal him. I couldn't understand how, only catching on bits. He said, Erk was at that state when his body stops functioning, and so he was motionless when we found him. At that rate they couldn't use healing magic on him as his body no longer would repair itself, something like that, so Regal man had to use a Thunder spell to get Erk's body to respond to stuff again. How that happened, I don't know. But as people always say, when you get hit by lightning, or what scientists called 'electricity', shocking things happen. So it saved Erk. So the mages then pooled all their powers together to heal Erk's insides, and then his wound. Which part-needed stitching, since the guys have nearly exhausted their magical powers. Legault did the stitches, and Serra helped with some healing to clean it up in the end, so it isn't more painful, she said.

"Basically I can't understand what went on as well, when I think back," Canas said. "I'm not sure how it happened, but what just happened to Erk should be considered a miracle. And we were lucky to have that man as well—he had amazing knowledge on both magic and science." I figured he meant Regal Man. Canas then held up a staff he was holding. "I can't believe how he got us to use staves! Usually mages like me or Lucius wouldn't be able to do it, as we are contracted to only one magical force as of now, but that man transferred some of his magic to us, I think, making us temporarily able to call healing spirits."

It was a very long explanation and I was too exhausted to understand it all—but it all went down to one thing. Erk was alive.

One thousand silver pieces on the temple. But I didn't care, though I was probably going to slave for that amount. Erk was alive.

"…What are you doing here? What happened?" he asked, his voice so weak.

I put a finger to my lip. "Ssshh. Don't talk too much. Your body's been through a lot. We're in the supply wagon. And you're safe now."

"…Legault stitched me," he said, his fingers softly running over the stitches underneath his shirt. And then he flinched in pain. "Darn him," he muttered.

"It had to be done," I said, looking down at him. "But you're not going to be in pain any longer. Regal man says we're going someplace where you can be properly tended to. Then it won't hurt anymore."

He tried to give me a puzzled look, but was too pained to fully make one. "Regal man?"

"Oh. Your mentor. He's here."

"M-My mentor?"

"If your mentor is a gray haired, very regal looking man, then I think that's him."

"That's him," he confirmed. "…I thought I was dying when I saw him earlier. I thought I was dreaming…"

There was silence, save for the noises outside, when he again closed his eyes, fingering his stitches, sometimes flinching in its pain. I looked hurt and felt hurt every time he looked like that, and I tried to comfort him, brushing the hair that went over his face with my fingers, putting them in place.

"…I thought you hated me," he said, eyes still closed, voice almost choked, as if pained, but by something that I guess had nothing to do with his wounds.

"I don't hate you," I said. "I'm sorry for how I acted. Are you mad at me?"

"I told you," he said. "I could never even think of getting mad at you."

I smiled. He was so sweet. But then he tried to get up, to sit up, and I stirred and told him against it. "E-Erk, you shouldn't—"

He couldn't as well. The pain was too much, and he lay down again, and I brought his head down to my lap again. "Don't force yourself. You've been through a lot…"

Silence again. Then he eyed my skirt, and asked, "…Is that my blood?"

"Yes."

A small silence again, and then he asked, as he looked up the wagon ceiling, "Why are you doing this? You don't have to do this."

"W-What do you mean?"

"You don't have to be here for me. I know you, Kumi. You're here because you think what happened to me is your fault."

I was slightly offended. "Don't you want me to be here…?"

He closed his eyes again. "I just wished…" And his words trailed off, and he was silent.

I put my arms around him gently, and said, "Don't think about it. Don't think of the whys and hows. You're safe, and I'm here. And just so you know, while I still think it's part my fault, I'm here because I want to be."

He cracked a small smile, but it disappeared as quickly, as if he were trying to hide it. And then he said, "There's something I must tell you, in case I don't get the chance to say it again."

Sounds familiar. "If it will make you feel better, go ahead."

"You won't get mad, will you?"

Sounds even more familiar. I shook my head while I smiled, and said, "No, unless what you're about to say is that you're actually evil in disguise and a henchman of Nergal out to destroy us."

A small laugh. "Hah. Of course not… I just want to say that I… ahh…"

"You…?"

"You… and I… I, uhm…"

"Ah, by Elimine, just say it."

That was from neither Erk nor me.

Erk almost got up to look, but I gently held him down, and glared at the other person in the supply wagon. "You didn't have to interrupt, Raven."

Raven just gave a grunt, and clutched his own wound. "At the rate of things, it was going to take ten years before he told you such a simple thing. Darn it, Erk. Be a man."

Erk just kept his eyes closed, but I can tell in the way his body tensed that he wanted to strangle Raven. "I wasn't asking for your opinion," he said.

"And you, Kumi," Raven said, and by his tone I knew that he wasn't in a good mood. It sounded like he was looking for a fight. "Don't lead him on when you know what he's going to say and what you're going to say back to it anyway."

"I don't know what he's going to say!" I objected. And then added, "…Do you?"

"Yes," Raven answered.

"Did you tell him?" I asked Erk.

"No."

"But someone has to be blind to not figure," Raven said. Ah! Why does everyone seem to know about Erk's secret except me! Why only me?!

"Erk?" I turned to look down at the mage again.

He opened his eyes and looked up to me, his amethyst eyes meeting mine of sapphire. "Mm?"

"Won't you tell me what it is?"

His answer was immediate. "Maybe some other time."

Ah! Everyone knows except me. But I couldn't press him to tell, though. He needed rest more than anything else. I couldn't throw Raven off the wagon either, as he also needed rest. He was all sour lately, maybe because of Priscilla. But I just had to wait, and understand.

----

When the supply wagon went for an abrupt stop, shaking the supplies and me and Erk and Raven who were inside, I immediately peeked out the wagon to figure what happened. But shortly after I did, someone called out, "We're here!"

I stuck my head out more, and what I saw before me was another marvel—a huge structure, made of old white stones—in the middle of the desert. It appeared to be an old ruin, a part of a greater whole, as there were bigger columns standing in the sand, ruined. The sand also ate up and almost hid the stone flooring, with intricate carvings and designs in them if you looked hard enough. I had the feeling what was built here before was humongous, like the Dragon's Gate. The wagon then continued to move on towards the remaining intact part of the ruins, where the roof above it wasn't collapsed.

"Where are we?" Erk asked, his voice still weak.

I took his side again, and told him, "An old ruin. I get the feeling that it was once really huge. Regal ma—I mean, your master said the living legend is here."

"Living legend, huh?" Raven said, as if to himself, but we all heard.

The wagon came to a stop again, and by that we knew that it was time for us to get down. Dorcas and Bartre greeted us (they were the ones usually tasked to take care of the supplies), and while Bartre was lending Raven a hand, the mercenary ignored it, and jumped down the wagon by himself. There was the slightest flinch when he hit the ground, though, but it only lasted for a second, and it was gone, and Raven coolly went on his way. I didn't know whether to think him strong for trying not to show weakness, or stupid for ignoring help and holding in the pain.

Erk and I got down with help, though, and as we got down I immediately took his side and helped him up. But right after I did that, Wil arrived, and took the task from me. I gave it to him because I knew he would do a much better job.

And then I turned around to the ruins again. And before me I saw sandy white stone steps leading up to a door, to a building completely intact as opposed to the columns around. I supposed the building was some home or archive or something, while the columns represented a covered courtyard that led to it, only the courtyard collapsed due to one thing or another. I wondered what was above the steps, and beyond that structure…

There was only one way to find out.

------

Tall, dusty, sandy bookcases surrounded us in every front. There were desks, chairs, piles of books and the like scattered around as well. The structure was a library, an old research center. I couldn't believe it. I have never been surrounded by so many books in my life, books probably ancient as well.

Hawkeye and Regal man were leading us, and showing us around. They then led us to a huge room with beds and all that—ah, a place to rest! "This used to be an old research center for magic, where scholars and mages studied and tested many theories. They lived here as well. But that was around a thousand years ago…" Regal man said. "It only maintained this state since a man had been living here."

A thousand years ago! I'm in a structure that's from a thousand years ago!

Everyone then settled into the beds, looked around, lounged, or fixed their things. I was looking after Erk again when I noticed Regal man and Hawkeye talking to the three lords. There must be something there. It might be about the living legend thing…

I was staring hard, trying to hear the conversation, but I knew it was impossible, as they were far and the noises of the group drowned out their voices. Then Erk said, "It's not the tactician's job to look after the weak."

I figured where he was getting at. He must've figured that I was staring out to the lords. But I couldn't just leave him, too! "But Erk!"

The lords then left with Hawkeye and Pent. Where could they be going… "Don't worry about me," Erk said. "The last thing I want is to be a burden to you. You want to know what's happening, right?"

Hell yeah, I needed to know what was going on. "It's fine with you?"

"Go ahead," Erk said, and then I left to follow the lords.

--------

I lost them as they turned a corner, and it took me a while to find out where they went. The old library was bigger than I imagined, and I only found out where the lords went since I heard voices.

I peeked into the room with the voices, and saw the three lords—Lyn, Lord Eliwood, and Lord Hector—along with Hawkeye and Regal Man and this rather old, but visually healthy man—of average height, with striking completely white hair and beard. I had the feeling he was a magic user, with his robes and the wooden magic staff in his hand. Also, the room was littered with old, dusty tomes, and a scrying crystal was there on a stand in the middle of the room. Who is that man? Is he the one Regal Man meant when he said there was someone who lived in and looked after this place?

Their conversation stopped when Hawkeye found me, and gave me a look. Just a plain look, not a warning of any kind. Everyone else then turned to me, and Lyn said, "Oh, Kumiko!"

I just blinked, wondering if I should even be there or not, if I should just leave or ask to be included in the conversation. But I was spared from deciding what to do, as the old man with the white hair and beard turned to me, and called out, "Child of Hartmut, come. You have a great role in the scheme of things as well."

Child of… Hartmut? None of the people that could qualify as my father—my blood father, my mother's husband, and my mentor—were named Hartmut. Did he mean the General Hartmut, the founder of my homeland? How could he tell that I was Bernese, then? I wasn't wearing any proof of my heritage (aside from my hair color, but… bah). Nevertheless, I picked up my feet and went towards them.

I stood beside Lyn, and she linked her arms with mine. And then she bent down to whisper, "We've just got here. This man can tell where we come from and what our blood is, and we don't know how."

So that explains the Hartmut thing. So, that means, he could tell my heritage just by looking at me? That I'm a full-blooded Bernese?

And Lord Eliwood asked him, "Who are you?"

There was a long sigh before the man answered, "I am Athos. Many choose simply to call me Archsage."

A-Athos?! Archsage Athos?! Then, he's…

"Athos?!" Lord Eliwood was as shocked as I was. "It can't be..."

"Huh? What?" Lyn didn't quite know who Archsage Athos was. Of course, coming from the plains, I wouldn't blame her.

"Archsage Athos was one of the Eight Legends," Lord Hector explained. I was slightly surprised that Lord Hector even knew of the legends. "If you were really him, old man... you'd have to be over a thousand years old."

"The world is full of mysteries," said the Archsage. I couldn't believe it! Was he really the Archsage? "Solve one, and along comes another... Before I knew it, I'd grown distant from my fellow man. Hunger... It knows no bounds."

"A thousand years..." Lyn said. "That's a long time."

Lord Eliwood said, "Yet thanks to such longevity, we're meeting here today."

"_Living legend_... Now I see it," Lord Hector said to himself, and I heard it. He was right. Living legend indeed.

And then the Archsage suddenly said, "You're here because you want to stop Nergal, aren't you?"

The four of us were momentarily stunned, since he knew what we were up to as well, aside from what country we came from. "Yes…" Lord Eliwood answered. "Did you receive word from Marquess Ostia?"

The Archsage shook his head. "No... I am aware of most things that occur in the continent. However, knowledge is not enough for me to prevent disaster."

"Nils said something similar to that before," Lyn told us. "_With my special power, I can sense danger coming, but I can't do anything to stop it_."

"Nils... One of the children of destiny." The Archsage spoke it with a softness that made it seem like a whisper, only loud enough for all to hear.

Lyn said, "He's here with us, but something outside caught his attention."

"...I'm sure something stopped him..."

The statement puzzled us, and Lord Eliwood and I gave a "Hm?" But then the Archsage just shook his head, and said, "Let's talk about Nergal."

Lord Eliwood decided to let the thing about Nils slip. Nergal was so much more important. "Yes, what can you tell us? What wisdom can you share?"

"Your foe is, like me, no longer... altogether human. It will be difficult to slay him through traditional means. He wields a terrible power. His endless strength stems from an ancient, forbidden magic... To defeat him, you will need a suitable response."

"Response?" I asked.

"...While he is resting," said Lord Athos, "you must find the power the oppose him."

"Tell us what it is!" Lord Eliwood demanded immediately. "We'll do anything!!"

"It will be harder than you can imagine. Great trials await you. ...As does great despair. You may regret your decision. Will you stay the course, children?"

"...Our will remains fixed. This is a road from which you cannot turn back," said Lord Eliwood.

"We've known that all along!" added Lord Hector.

I nodded, and said, "We have the power, no matter how small, to defeat him. We should try."

"We can overcome anything," Lyn said. "You'll see. Together, we are strong."

The Archsage Athos gave a smile and a nod, and he said, "...Very well. Let me tell you what you must do."

--------------------------------

"Have you understood all that you have heard?"

"Yes. We are to seek out the Shrine of Seals in Bern, right?" Lord Eliwood asked for confirmation. The Archsage nodded.

"Take Hawkeye with you," he added, mentioning Hawkeye, who was in the background. "Add his skills to your own."

We turned to look at Hawkeye, and he just gave us the slightest of nods, and Lord Eliwood thanked the Archsage and Hawkeye for their help.

"...And you?" Lord Athos turned to the remaining people in the room—Regal man and this beautiful woman with golden locks who just appeared. When did she get here? I must have been too into the conversation earlier that I didn't notice her arrive. "What will you do, Pent and Louise?" Lord Athos asked.

So, I assume 'Pent' is Regal Man, and the woman is Louise. The two exchanged glances, and Regal man said, "Nergal, a magic user who rivals you, Lord Athos... And the return of the dragons. An intriguing story."

The lords and I were silent, just staring at Regal man and his woman companion. Maybe they were also trying to figure out who was who. Regal man finally took the hint, and said, "Forgive the late introductions. I am Pent," he gestured towards himself, "Count Reglay of Etruria. This is Louise, my wife," he gestured towards the blonde beauty.

"It's nice to meet you," Lady Louise said with a small nod and a pretty smile. Wow. He has a really beautiful wife.

…W-Wait. Count Reglay? So I was right! Regal man was really regal! And Etrurian, too. And to think he was Count Reglay, and I didn't realize… I should have paid more attention when I was learning about nobles.

"Count Reglay? You are Count Reglay?" Lord Eliwood asked, surprised again.

"Who?" Lyn asked, confused. "Is he someone special?"

"He hails from the most prominent noble house in Etruria," I said, looking at Regal Man as I did so. "He's known as the Magic General. Am I right, my lord?"

He nodded, and gave me a smile. "Yes, you're right. As I would expect of my student's girlfriend."

"G-Girlfriend?!" I said, a little horrified. The Lady Louise was suddenly wearing a surprised excited smile, a contrast to my expression. Before she could ask me anything, I said, "Please don't think about it that way."

"Wait, you're who's girlfriend?" Lyn turned to me, curious. When I said no one, she turned to Regal man and asked him, "Who's your student?" But Regal man and the Lady Louise just smiled and giggled.

Lord Hector gave me a nudge, as if he knew what Lord Pent was talking. But then he said, before I could tell him anything, "All that aside, Count Reglay, Countess Reglay, what are you doing here?"

Lord Athos was the one who answered. "Bern's successor will soon have his coming-of-age ceremony. Pent and Louise are to attend as representatives of Etruria. Pent claimed there was time to search the desert for a magic artifact said to have been lost in the sands here long ago. You arrived shortly after they did. Perhaps something was guiding you."

"And bowing to the dictates of fate," said Lord Pent, "my wife and I would like to join you if we may."

The lords and I exchanged glances, and Lyn was the one to speak first. "Well, of course. That's fine, right, Eliwood?" Lord Eliwood gave a nod. Lyn asked the Etrurian couple, "Will you send word of your mission to your countrymen?"

Lord Pent shook his head. "There's no reason to, and if we did, who would believe us?" Besides, it is not unusual for us to remain absent for long periods. I doubt anyone will be surprised by our absence. Right, my dear?"

Lady Louise gave him a smile and a giggle. "You're right, my love."

"Not unlike a certain you noble we've heard of..." Lord Eliwood said, with a sidelong glance towards we-all-know-who.

Lord Hector gave a grunt and a sarcastic remark. "That's great! Thanks a lot!"

Lord Eliwood ignored him, and said to Lord Pent and his wife, "In any event, we welcome you both with all our hearts."

"Thank you." Lord Pent gave Lord Eliwood a small, royal bow, which the Pherean lord returned.

Then it was Lord Athos' turn to speak again. He suddenly looked a tad too serious, as if he sensed some danger coming. "...There's not much time," he said, urgently. "I'll send you to Lycia. Hawkeye! Gather everyone here in the plaza."

Hawkeye, again, just gave the slightest of nods and went on his way.

"Wait," Lyn suddenly told the Lord Athos. "Lord Pent says you are a master of magic, Archsage. There are some badly wounded people among us, and…"

"Well then, bring them over and I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you!" Lyn and I both said in glee. If Raven and Erk get healed by the Archsage, a living legend, they'll undoubtedly get better, right? So we excitedly went on our way to get the others, and Lord Pent and Lady Louise actually hurried on before we did. I'd bet they were immediately thinking about Erk.

The Archsage, however, called me before I could leave the room. "Child of Hartmut, will you stay here for a while?"

I told Lyn and the others to go, and I uncertainly retraced my steps into the Archsage's study. When I was standing before him, he only went away, towards a tall bookshelf, then looking up, as if searching for something. He was silent, and I was alone with him, and it unnerved me in the slightest.

"A-Are you really the Archsage?" I asked, a little nervous.

He seemed to have found the item he was looking for, and he gestured it to come down—and it did. A small black box floated in the air, descending from its position on the bookshelf to rest in the Archsage's hands. Well, there was no doubting he was a magic-user.

"You have seen Dragons, child. Do you still think my existence is impossible?" he asked, as he went towards me again, with that little black box.

I was all eyes on him, and I said, "I'm only trying to be sure. I have to be. Because I don't want the entire group to be led onto a false hope for defeating Nergal. But… deep in my heart I really think you are the Archsage."

He didn't acknowledge my question about his identity, and he decided to question me, instead. "You are Kumiko, correct?"

_How did he know?_ I just nodded.

"You are such a pure soul," he said, and I didn't quite understand what he meant by that. Then he added, "Fate blows a strange wind in your direction. Much rides on our shoulders and in your abilities. Do you think you can handle it? It may be too much for you."

"I… I would try my best."

"You have been gifted by the gods," he said. I couldn't understand his talk at all, but I listened well. Gifted by the gods? I think I'm a pretty ordinary girl. "It is their will that brings you to where you are now. Be strong of heart, child. You will go through much in the coming days and in the future. But be strong. You do know that once you engage Nergal, there is no turning back?"

"I know," I said. "I've known earlier than that. I've known since I've made these friends that there is no turning back, since I would do anything within my power for them."

"A pure, kind soul indeed," he said. And then he lifted the cover of the little box he was holding, and pulled out a small decorative bottle filled with a most mysterious blue liquid. "I want you to take this," he said. "It enhances natural abilities, skills with which one was born. Give this to whoever you feel will benefit the most. Do not waste its powers holding on to it. Use it."

I took the item, and gave him my thanks.

-------

I did not leave the Archsage's presence that quickly—I stayed there, sitting on a dusty stack of books, asking questions, and he was most gracious to answer them. I asked about Nergal, about his previous life, about his small gift for me. He answered all, and sometimes he would give a small smile, as if I amused him. I would be glad if that were the case.

"You remind me of a certain tale, young tactician," he told me.

I was curious. "What certain tale?"

"That of another female tactician. The goddess of war."

I knotted my brows. Why would I remind him of the goddess of war? "I know her tale," I told him. "Her husband, the god of war, kills her."

He gave me a shocked look, as if I just declared something so ridiculous. "Who told you that?" he asked, as if offended with my earlier statement.

Puzzled, I answered, "Uh, the books. Or, the bards. I can't really remember. You know, sir, how those goddess tales can get twisted."

"Well, you've certainly heard false. Neither killed the other. I was reminded of her because she was a kind soul matched with a great talent for tactics, like you."

"I think I'm a far cry from being compared to a goddess, but my thanks, Archsage."

"It is more than a compliment. It may be a warning," he said. Now that certainly had me even more puzzled. The Archsage explained, "Her talent made her what she is, and in the end it was also the cause of her pain. She cut her immortal life and preferred to die when all was through and done."

"I don't understand this, Archsage," I said. "And I'm not fond of tales of gods and goddesses, and I don't know much about them. And those tales are always inaccurate. What proof do you have that what you say is true?"

"I've been here a thousand years ago," he said. "During the Scouring, there are gods who sided with the Dragons, and those who sided with us, bestowing our Divine Weapons with great powers. She was one of those who thought the Scouring was ridiculous, and failed to support anyone. Her spouse, the god of war, supported us, though. He blessed one of the Divine Weapons with great power. But that was the start of the argument between the god and goddess of war, which later on led to his defeat. So they say the weapon the god of war blessed also has a curse."

"A curse?" I couldn't believe I was getting interested in this tale, but I was.

"They say of the weapon: _ To the one who is destined to wield this, power shall be his blessing, and women shall be his curse._ So far the blessing and curse has not been proven false."

"Interesting," I said. "The way you present if makes me want to learn more, Archsage. Please, do you have a book about it?"

Minutes were then devoted to finding the book, and then the Archsage suddenly laughed a big hearty laugh. When I looked puzzled and asked him why, he answered, "Well, child, it appears you are sitting on said book this very moment."

I got up from sitting on the comfortable stack of books, and I found out that he was right.

------

Everyone finally gathered at the outdoor plaza, though some were most reluctant to go. The skies were already dark, and I heard a few had been sleeping and were woke just for this. We were all dead tired. What could the Archsage want?

While we had waited for the others earlier, Lord Athos looked over Erk and Raven. He said Raven's pretty much okay when he recovers, and he also did additional healing magic for Raven, to which the mercenary said made him "good as new". I couldn't see the difference, though, as Raven still acted like always—like some tough guy who never gets hurt. He has to learn to express himself one day.

Erk took a little while. Firstly, Lord Athos congratulated Lord Pent on successfully healing Erk despite the odds, but says that magic that will fully restore Erk would be hard to perform. He wasn't sure he could do it, either. He said, Elimine—Saint Elimine—one of the legendary heroes, would have been capable, but unfortunately she isn't alive. Lord Athos still performed some healing magic on Erk, though. The stitches miraculously disappeared (how in the world??) but he was still scarred badly. I felt bad looking at the wounds, but there wasn't anything I could do. Erk said he felt better, but even the Archsage warned him against overexerting himself, both physically and magically. Erk said that he was fine and fit to fight, though. Agh. He's acting just like Raven.

We were waiting for a few more people to get up and get themselves outside, when I caught the Countess Reglay's eyes, and she smiled at me, and I smiled back. She had been talking to Lord Pent, but after I smiled at her, she stared at me and looked seriously perturbed.

"Oh, goodness," she said, and she looked seriously surprised and offended, even gasping a little. She then excused herself from Lord Pent and walked towards me, and I was puzzled.

"Countess Reglay?"

"Please call me Louise," she said. "You're Kumiko, correct? The tactician?"

"Yes, that's me, my lady."

She then shook her head, and then put a hand to my blouse. The green was blood red at most parts. "This doesn't suit you. We should soak it as soon as we can. Do you need help?"

It sure doesn't suit me. I look like either one of many things: a murderer, a seriously wounded person, or a girl who had bloody miscarriage. I was neither of those, just a girl who had a friend that almost died. But while I knew what I looked like, I couldn't possibly ask help from Lady Louise. "It's fine for now, my lady," I told her. "I'll wash it as soon as I can. And I couldn't possibly bother you with this…"

"Oh, don't worry, you can ask for my assistance if you need it," she said. "I don't have a daughter, so I would love to help you."

"You don't have a daughter? Sons, then?"

She shook her head. Huh? Impossible. She was so beautiful, and Lord Pent seemed to be seriously with her, so why wouldn't they--? Unless…

"We pretty much treat Erk like our son," Lady Louise said. "My lord is a very busy person—lord of Reglay and at the same time Magic General of Etruria. He is hardly at home. And Erk… oh, he does nothing but study. Sometimes I wished my lord took a female student instead."

"I'm sure Lord Pent thinks of you all the time whenever he's away," I told her. "And Erk… he's just like that, but he's sweet."

"Isn't he?" she said with a small laugh. Ah, she's really pretty. Her hair was very beautiful, too—a bright, vivid blonde, the hair color of most nobles of Etruria. Bern's nobles have brownish-blonde hair, but Etrurians had bright yellow.

Speaking of hair, she then noticed my unruly hair, and said, "You really need to fix yourself. Once we settle somewhere, let me help you."

I noticed that the twine I used to tie my hair with had fallen off. Darn. I looked in my pockets, but I had none in them. I need a new one from Merlinus. "During times like this, I wish I had a ribbon," I told Lady Louise as I fumbled around some more for twine.

She agreed. "Yes. A ribbon would be very nice."

---------------------

When everyone was there, the Lord Athos faced the three lords again. I listened in the background, along with the others.

"Eliwood, your territory is the closest to Bern, is it not?" the Archsage asked.

Lord Eliwood nodded. "Yes. The border lies in the mountains."

"Very good," said Lord Athos. "Now please envision a nice, wide place in Pherae... Next, think of the name of a person you might meet there. Everyone else, please close your eyes."

Lord Eliwood closed his eyes, and all of us followed. "As you say…"

"Now, children of Roland…" said the Archsage to the lords, "It is time to say farewell. You must reach the Shrine of Seals. There, your destinies' doors will open wide before you."

_Your destinies' doors will open wide before you. _The Archsage didn't tell us much of what to do, didn't elaborate on the little things—only told us, "Go to the Shrine of Seals in Bern". Something there will help us. Something…

Bern… I can't wait to go home. My mentor… my father. I wonder how he is…

--------------

We remained standing there for a while, and my thoughts have already reached the Western Isles, when Lord Eliwood screamed, "Mother! I'm home! I've returned!"

I opened my eyes and found stone walls and red carpets, and no more sand and white walls. I blinked. I have to be dreaming.

The images didn't change. I looked around—everyone else was with me. We seemed to be in a huge hall of some sort, with paintings all around. I pinched myself. A while ago I was in Nabata, and now…?

"Ah!! Eliwood! Is it really you? Oh, how did you... You startled me so!" There was a woman there, with purple hair tied up her head, in a flowing deep blue gown and a silk shawl around her. She was nearing tears, and so was Lord Eliwood. W-Wait! Did Lord Eliwood just call her "mother"?!

"Pherae!" Isadora, Lowen, and Marcus all cried out at once. I thought they were going to kiss the ground. But they were extremely happy, even their horses, while the rest of us curiously looked around the room, still caught in disbelief.

Lord Eliwood and his mother talked some more, while all of us looked around, and the horses kept neighing and stuff. I occupied myself with staring at the paintings, and found that the huge one behind Lord Eliwood and his mother was a portrait of Lord Elbert.

Horses neighed, Pegasi flapped, Merlinus screamed when Hyperion suddenly craned his neck into the supplies and ate the carrots. Those involved tried to get things in control, and when trouble became evident, Lord Eliwood finally realized what was happening and said to his mother, "Forgive me, Mother. The Archsage sent us."

She only looked at us, and said, "You all look so tired… Alright. We will make everyone comfortable. You all look in need of a rest."

The attendants and guards and knights then rushed in, probably curious of the noise, and then surprised to see all of us. Then they just decided to help with our things and the like. But Lord Eliwood protested, "I'm sorry, Mother. We must hurry onward..."

"I know that!" the lady said, in a tone a mother took when she's scolding a child. The she sighed, and said, "But for one night... here in the castle... Eliwood... just for tonight.

I can tell Lord Eliwood wanted to stay as well, but was thinking of Nergal.

"One night's not going to hurt us," Lord Hector finally decided to give some help. "Who knows when we'll be back this way?"

"Yes, let's do it," Lyn added. "I am so exhausted. The others are ready to collapse as well."

"Hector, Lyn... Thank you." That was all Lord Eliwood could say.

-------------------

An hour and a many minutes later, we've been ushered into Castle Pherae's rooms, the mounts taken care of, and the supplies secured. My clothes had been given to the maids to be taken care of, and I wore my nightdress, the one from the girl in Castle Laus, ages ago it seemed. While I was drop-dead tired, I couldn't sleep, thinking of one thing or the other—mostly of Bern, and Sir Alecto. Anko said he was really sick, and went through the trouble of calling us all just for it. With that I know it's not just a simple sickness. I didn't have much trust on the physicians of Bern, either—some were great, but the real good ones were from Etruria. We have the best military, the best metalworkers, the best inventors of many great things, and also fairly good agriculture—but the field of medicine, and magic? You don't find that in Bern a lot.

I couldn't sleep thinking about it at all. I was in a separate room, but I shared it with Matt, but said thief was not around that time. He's probably busy doing things a spy should do (or raiding the kitchen for one thing or another). I didn't want to leave Erk, but I decided to leave him to Lord Pent and Lady Louise. He hasn't been with them for a while.

Lord Athos told me that he wasn't sure I could take all that was to come. I told him I'd do my best. But what if my best isn't enough? Doing your best isn't what matters here, but succeeding. It's the world at stake here!

I shook my head, as if to clear it of thoughts. Worrying would get me nowhere. I know things will be hard, but if I worry too much, it would only get in the way. I decided to look for an activity of some sort, just to get my mind to focus on other things. I took my logbook and walked out of the room.

I walked the hallways, checked on the others, and stopped at a room that was open a crack. I carefully peeked inside, and found Lord Eliwood---staring blankly at the air as he sat on his study. He found me, and invited me inside.

"So you're still awake," he said. I nodded, and took a seat on a plush red chair that I saw nearby.

He spoke before I could say anything. "Kumiko, do you know Bern well?"

"I'm Bernese," I reminded him. "I suppose that means I know a lot of Bern. I haven't traveled much to the eastern regions, but as far as the people and the culture and the places I've lived in are concerned, I sure know them."

"I know no more than what I hear in court," he honestly said. "I've never even been there. They say the military is superb, without compare. Is that true?"

"We have many great tacticians and generals," I told him. "But is the military great? I don't know. We just fight to the end. The Bernese are a very prideful people, who hate to lose in an area they know they are good at. So our soldiers fight to the end. But is the military great? I think it depends on who rules. Our soldiers may be fearless, but if the king doesn't know how to use them, they wouldn't be a threat."

"That's right…" said Lord Eliwood. "The lords, in the end, are the tacticians. If they are reckless, their skilled people will be nothing. Much will rely on the ones who make the decision."

"That's right."

He looked deep in thought, and then said, "…I will be the lord of Pherae. Kumiko… do you think I'll make good decisions? Or will I…"

"Of course you'll make a good lord!" I assured him. "You already are a good one now, Lord Eliwood. If you really love your people, you would be wise, and you would think for them. You would not be reckless. I know that."

He smiled genuinely. "Thank you, Kumiko."

"You're welcome."

----------------

Early the next day, our group went on our way to get to Bern. Pherae was near my country, and we could cross the mountains to get to Bern, but we decided to take the safe route. To the north, by the Tania-Pherae border, is a land entry to Bern that isn't rigged with mountains. While we could pass the mountains directly east of Pherae into Bern, a faster route… the mountain paths are treacherous. There aren't any people around the mountains, too, so we couldn't resupply if ever we needed to. The land route through the Thria-Pherae border was much, much safer, albeit slower.

As we neared Tania, Lyn, Lord Eliwood, and Lord Hector took on cloaks. Lord Pent had discussed, along the way, the hazards of a huge group like us stepping into Bern would bring. Of course. I knew that my country, a strict militant country, would be wary of a big armed group suddenly entering their borders, more so with Lycian lords. We had to think up a good excuse for our group, and had to make sure no one recognized the lords as well, or else Bern could see it as an attack from Lycia…

My head hurt as we neared Thria. The lords were hurting from the thinking as well. I was a tactician, a battle strategist. I'm not skilled with lies, at least not to the level that getting into Bern safely demands.

"We could say that we're a mercenary group, from Ilia," Lyn suggested.

"They'd demand to see our contract," Lord Hector pointed out. And then he turned to me. "Kumiko, you're Bernese. At least tell us what to expect."

"Well…" I said, "getting into Bern is possible. Liestal, the region connected to Lycia, is pretty lax most of the time. But with the prince's coming-of-age ceremony, they could be stricter, or…"

"Or the other way around." I turned, and found that Matt was behind us. Uh, finally, he showed himself. As a spy, it's his job to come up with the stuff needed to get us through this. He said, "I heard the king isn't fond of the prince. He has no reason to increase security then, except for show to the other visitors that this is _the _mighty Bern."

"Well, if we could get through Liestal, the capital would be a bigger problem," I told them. "No one, at least not an armed group this huge, gets into the capital that easily."

"Can't Lord Pent pull something? He's Count Reglay after all," Lyn asked.

Lord Eliwood shook his head. "Not even a count brings this amount of escorts with him, and a supply wagon loaded with weapons upon other things."

"You're from here," Lord Hector told me again. "Can't _you _pull some things? Maybe you've got friends among the soldiers and knights, or have something…"

I shook my head. "I… I don't know. Well, we've also got Heath and Legault, so they may be able to pull some strings too when the time comes, but me? I'm not sure…"

I caught Matt roll his eyes. Right. He knew. I had so many things I could use. I had a royal insignia of Bern, which knights literally kneel to, and they say anyone who owns it is considered Bern royalty. I was, at least once, part of the Military Academy. Sir Alecto's name and even Anko's works wonders for those who know them, as well. And, whether I would admit it or not, I was part of Bern nobility, my brown-blonde hair a testament to it. Heck, if Anko and Sir Alecto didn't find me, I would have probably gone back to Regrada, back to my blood father, whether he treats me like a daughter or not. He didn't have other children. I could have ruled Regrada by now. But then again if I stayed there, my childhood would have died faster, and I could have been married off to some random prince, as is the main use they find for noblewomen.

No matter how many cards I had that I could play, I wouldn't use them unless I had to.

"Our best course of action is to enter one group at a time," Matt then said. "If we divide ourselves into groups and act as if we didn't know each other, and later just meet at a common place, say an inn, we could successfully get past security, if ever there is any."

We all blinked, paused, and turned to the thief.

"Matthew, you're a genius!" Lord Hector said, genuinely. "For the first time I don't regret letting you tag along this thing."

Matt said, "I would have liked it better if you didn't say the latter part, Lord Hector."

---------

We got into Liestal, Bern, through the method Matt suggested. The first group was Lord Pent's group with a few others, who was there to attend the prince's ceremony. Raven's group was with Priscilla, who stated that she was a representative of Count Caerlon to attend the prince's ceremony. She had proof of her Caerlon linkage with her, and that proved in handy. Fiora with Florina were supposedly a pegasus messengers delivering messages from Lycia. Heath was wearing Bern's wyvern knights' armor. He couldn't possibly have problems getting in. Merlinus' group was a group of travelling merchants. Lucius was on a pilgrimage to the Elimine monastery. And Legault managed to smooth-talk the largest group through the border gates and the knights on guard. How in the world did he do that? Guy, who was with Legault's group, later said the thief just chatted with the soldiers on guard like old friends, and they let them through without Legault ever saying a clear reason as to why they were even there.

Eventually, I, Lyn, Lord Eliwood, Matt and Lord Hector reached the border gate. It wasn't wise to bring all the important people together, but if they wouldn't let the lords through, it would all be for nothing, so if they would block one, they might as well block all of us. I pulled the hood of my cloak over my head, and walked on.

Lord Hector led us, and quite confidently did he. Either he was getting cocky that the others had gone in easily, or he was trying to act. We reached the border gate, and a few soldiers on duty greeted us.

"This is the border gate separating Lycia and Bern," one of the two soldiers on our side of the gate said. "State your business in entering Bern."

We exchanged looks, and Lord Hector said, "We're here to go to the Military Academy."

…The last thing you want to say to a border guard.

I almost hit Lord Hector then and there on the head, and Matt sort of cringed, but we didn't speak, didn't react. The best thing we could do is stick with his story, and come up with a story. "You're obviously not from here, are you?" the other guard said with a smirk. Lord Hector looked puzzled. "Sorry, but only citizens of Bern are allowed to even study in the Military Academy. Not even just citizens—you have to be a noble. If you have no other business, just leave, rather than waste your time."

"W-What?! I didn't know that!" Lord Hector was surprised.

Matt nudged me ever so slightly. "You're Bernese. You're the one who knows the rules of this country. Do something!"

"You can't just tell us that!" Lyn said. "We've traveled all the way from Lycia, and—"

"Wait, you're Lycians?" The guards then tried to peer through the lords cloaks, and also must've realized that they looked too fine to be ordinary people. "You're Lycian nobles?"

"No, you're mistaken," Lord Eliwood immediately said. "We're not nobles."

"Why would non-nobles even be interested in studying about war, then?"

Darn it. Those border guards, whoever they are, are either skilled at reasoning or we were just plain stupid. They couldn't possibly not let us through, though. They were probably power-tripping on us. Or they could actually be serious about us and just shut the gates on us. We could always try to bribe them, but there's the chance that they recognized the lords and would report it to Bern Keep…

I stepped forward, and pulled my hood down to look at the guards straight in the eyes. "You'll let us through," I demanded.

They were stunned, almost talking back, but then they just paused. There was a saying in Bern that all people with brown-blonde hair were nobles. This isn't proved, but the fact that the entire royal family and the highest officials of Bern and the landlords have that color for their hair makes it mostly true.

"I've studied in the Academy," I said, "And my mentor told me that I could bring friends over anytime. I'm also here to see if the ceremony of the prince would turn out well, since he was my classmate and I was good friends with him. He pleaded I give him support."

"W-Who are you?"

"Genevieve Regrada, daughter of the former Lord Regrada. He may be stripped of title, but I can very much prove that I'm not."

They looked at each other again. From the other side of the gate, I heard what was undoubtedly Legault's voice say, "He had an illegitimate child, didn't you know that? I heard the king was thinking of ceding Regrada back to the former lord's rightful heir."

"You heard that?" Matt said. "So, does the lady still have to prove her lineage, and do you have more questions?"

"N-No, ma'am," said a guard. "You don't have to. We're sorry. We've only been ordered to tighten security because of the prince's coming-of-age ceremony."

"It's alright," I said, with a small smile. "I understand. I will no doubt speak about your service when I get to my destination."

The bloody finally let us in, and as I walked the border town of Liestal, I badly wanted to wash my mouth with soap. I can't believe I managed to say all that!

"H-How in the world did you do that, Kumi?" Lyn asked, somewhat surprised.

"You didn't tell us you had a way with words…" added Lord Eliwood.

I pouted, because unfortunately, what I said then wasn't a lie at all.

------

We all managed through the border gates safely, though I heard we lost a pie since Merlinus used it to get through the border guards. What! Even our pie! And I swear Merlinus makes some of the best pies I've tasted. It wasn't enough that they get to rub my identity in my face, and now, even the pie!

We met at a common inn and tavern, and grabbed a few bites and drinks and took a brief rest. I was outside the tavern, sitting on top of a stack of crates, admiring the view. Liestal was the only agricultural area of Bern—most of the country is covered in rocky terrain, and Liestal had a few plains. Only a few. But it would always be quite a sight to behold, the Liestal fields, and a treat for the nose whenever you pass by them. Especially if they've planted corn. There was a bit of water as well, as the town we settled into was near the Rhine river. Ah, that clear, blue river… I wonder what my friend, Jenro, felt, growing up in this region which is very much different from the rest of Bern…

The border town was busy, busy, busy, though it overlooked the calm river and fields. A lot of travelers have arrived, and people seemed excited and bustling all around. The prince's coming-of-age ceremony really has them excited. I myself can't believe that it's merely ten days away. Normally people would be so excited that a boy was going to be pronounced rightful heir, since it was just some ceremony, not some crowning of a new king. But the Prince Zephiel happened to have quite a following… so much that even the distant border town is updated of his ceremony. I can't tell if I like him or not, though. The only lie I said to the border guards was that the prince was my friend. He wasn't, and I've never spoken to him, ever. I saw him pass by the Military Academy window once, but he didn't really see me. Oh well.

"There you are!" I heard Lord Pent's voice, and I looked down and saw him looking up to me. I jumped down the crates, and dusted my clothes (now a nice green again). He held my hand to help my balance, and I let go when I felt stable after the jump again.

"What is it, Lord Pent?"

"I'm just waiting for the others so we could start talking of our plans. It's a very busy town though, so we may not get somewhere to talk to privately. Can you suggest some place?"

Lord Pent and I looked around the town for someplace, and we had more than a few heads turning back to look at us briefly. Of course. By outward appearances Lord Pent looked all regal, and as for me…my stupid, stupid hair. I'm going to dye it with cloth dye the day I'm not able to take it anymore.

We came upon the plaza, where fortunately no one was hanging around. Lord Pent and I sat by a bench, and pretty soon Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, Lady Louise and Lyn sat down with us. Hawkeye was also there, and he just stood, and looked critically at the surroundings, as if watching out for anyone who might listen in. Well, I doubt anyone would even try to listen in, with Hawkeye standing over us like that.

Lord Athos didn't give us a specific direction for the Shrine of Seals. He just said that it was in Bern. He could have left more specific directions, but I think he sort of wants us to figure it all out on our own.

"Tell me, Hawkeye, do you know the location of the Shrine of Seals?" Lord Eliwood asked Hawkeye.

"I've heard it's north of Bern. But the location of the shrine itself is secret. I doubt if anyone outside the royal family knows how to reach it," said Hawkeye, still looking around the area for anything suspicious.

North of the capital? The Rhine canton was there. If that's the case, I could ask Mark, as he's from there…

"So, if we want to reach the shrine, we'll have to contact the royal family, is that it?" Lyn said.

"Without revealing our identities or our motives?" said Lord Hector. "There's got to be another way to find where it is."

And then Lord Pent said, "...I can provide you with its general location."

"Lord Pent?" I and the Lycian lords turned to him, surprised.

"I'm privy to the highest secrets of military information in Etruria," said Lord Pent. "When we learned of the shrine's existence, we investigated. However, none of our operatives returned. Bern's defenses are formidable."

"That's not what we want," I said. "We can't possibly let Bern capture us."

"And if your identities are discovered, Bern will see it as an excuse to invade Lycia," Lord Pent said the gravest thing we were trying to avoid.

"That, above all else, must be avoided," Lord Eliwood said. Bern and Lycia were generally in good relations, but King Desmond has been… he's being rash. I can imagine him attacking Lycia, definitely.

Then Lord Pent said, "That's where I come in."

"What do you mean?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"Duty demands that I attend the post-ceremony festivities. However, I will greet the queen privately before the ceremony."

"Privately?" Lord Eliwood asked, and we all looked surprised. "You can do that?" Not many people, not even nobles, can easily meet a queen, unless they had relations with her, such as some friendship…

"Queen Hellene was born in Etruria," Lady Louise said. "She and I are related, albeit a distant relation."

"When we meet," Lord Pent continued, "I will discreetly ask about the Shrine of Seals. Most likely, she'll not say much, but anything will help, will it not? Rest assured, even if I fail, I will not reveal your presence."

We gasped. If he fails? What happens if he fails? The temperament of kings and queens is very tricky. What if the queen detects that Lord Pent is up to something? Ohh… "Lord Pent! That's—"

"If we do not return by tomorrow, return to Lycia and come up with a new plan. Understood?" Lord Pent asked for confirmation.

We didn't nod or shake our heads. We just exchanged glances. Then Lord Eliwood asked the question I've thought of earlier… "...If you fail, what will become of you?"

Lord Pent just gave an easy smile, and Lady Louise just smiled that same and held onto Lord Pent's arm. "Everything will work out," he said. "It wouldn't be a bad life. Abandoning my position... Living on the run with Louise..."

"If I'm with you, my lord Pent, I care not where we go," Lady Louise told her husband. Lord Pent gave her a smile and he actually blushed, I think. Ah, those two always seemed so in-love.

"Well then," Lord Hector said, "I pray for your success."

--------------

Lord Pent and Lady Louise immediately left, and they've just left for two hours and the lords were already pacing and impatient. Part of me worried what would happen to Lord Pent and Lady Louise. Part of me can't wait for them to get back. Part of me wondered how Sir Alecto is…

"This waiting is hard," Lord Eliwood admitted, over the dinner table of an inn we rented. "There must be something we can do."

"I know what you mean, but we have to lay low..." Lord Hector said, keeping his voice low as well.

Plates clanked, and we saw Legault sit on the dinner table with his meal. We didn't even notice he was there, if he didn't make a sound with the plate. We all stared at him, and he suggested, with this grin as he ate, "Why don't we try and gather some information on the Black Fang?"

"Hm? Information?" Lyn asked.

"Yes. Black Fang's headquarters are here in Bern. The location was never disclosed to me, though. The Black Fang is so much different than it once was. Any information we could gain would be beneficial."

"That's a good idea," Lord Eliwood said exactly what I thought. "Thanks, Legault."

"Think nothing of it."

The lords discussed it among themselves, and Legault just ate there. My thoughts drifted back to random things. Black Fang… information gathering… Sir Alecto… The capital was not too far from Liestal. I could get there in a day. I could get to the Tactician Guild in a day. But this group needs me. What if we run into enemies? But what if Sir Alecto…

"Hey," Legault snapped me from my thoughts, and I found him looking at me with a mixed expression of concern and baffle. "Get something to eat. You're dazing off."

I shook my head, as if to say I was okay, but then he handed me an apple. "I don't like to eat it with the skin," I told him.

"Man, you're a picky one, aren't you?" he teased, and paused his eating to flick out his dagger and peel the apple. When he was through, he tossed the apple towards me and I caught it. "There you go, Lady Genevieve," he said.

I made a face. "Thanks," I said, sourly. "And please don't call me by that name."

"Why not? It's your real name, isn't it?"

"It's a noble's name. And I don't want anything to have to do with them, except for that bunch," I pointed to the group of Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, and Lady Lyn.

The sun was at least two hours from sinking into the horizon when I, the lords, and a few others went out to gather what information we could about the Fang. As usual, the lords were there, I was there, the two thieves were there, and Ninian came out and said she wanted to help in any way she could. Lord Eliwood let her tag along.

"Let's split up and go. Try to blend in," Lord Eliwood said.

"We'd better be careful," said Lord Hector.

Lyn gave him a sidelong glance and said, "Especially you, Hector."

"What!?" Lord Hector exclaimed. Lyn just laughed and ran off, and Lord Hector actually ran after her, yelling all the way.

Those who were left behind were left to blink. I heard Lord Eliwood say, "Those two... I can't tell if they're friends or not."

Ninian giggled, and discussed it a little with Lord Eliwood. Matt told me, "Well, maybe we don't have to plot something after all. It seems time made Lady Lyn and the young master get along fine."

"Yeah, and it seems there may be a little something there as well…" added Legault.

What? "You think they're getting along fine? You think they like each other?" I asked. "They're always arguing."

"But not in the way that they hate each other," Matt said. "That's one form of love, you know. And it's kinda cute."

That was a sign of love and like? When I think love, I think Lord Pent and Lady Louise or Lord Eliwood and Ninian. But if you always argue… No, wait. I think I understand a little. Anko always teases me and argues with me too, but I can tell we love each other, that we're best friends. Definitely.

Matt's face lit up, and he suddenly exclaimed, "Maybe this means that Xarin actually has a crush on me!"

What?? "Uhm, not very likely, Matt. I don't think so. Let's just go around and find information."

"That brown-haired other spy of Ostia?" Legault asked, and I nodded.

"Hey, I was just kidding!" Matt said. "Don't tell her that! She's gonna beat me senseless when she knows that I said that!"

-----

I've been walking around town with the two thieves, asking around, when I noticed the crowd turn a notch alert, and some actually discreetly withdrew back into their homes. What was going on? The person we were asking, a female grocer by the market, seemed to tense as well as she said, "I can't say anything now. I have to hurry. It's best you get back to your inn as well."

"W-Why?" I asked, but she didn't answer, just left.

"That's why," Matt said, as he pointed to a man, armed with daggers and knives, with half his face covered, as if he were… assassin!

He actually saw us, and walked toward us. Gah, he looked menacing! "He's not…" I said, in a hushed tone, "…part of the ones we're asking about, are they?" Though he wasn't wearing the dark robes of Black Fang, I figured this could be one of fate's little twists…

"I'll take care of this," Legault just said, and then he turned to the man approaching us and actually gave a big smile and a wave. "Hey there, Igor!"

"Legault!" TheIgor person, surprisingly, ran towards Legault almost enthusiastically. "What are you doing here, Legault? On a mission?" Igor asked.

"Yeah, sort of. But that's done, and now I just met up with a friend and his sister. She says she's gonna cook one of her special meals—wanna come?"

Me?! Cook a special meal?! I don't even know how to cook! "L-Legault!"

The Igor person actually gave a bit of a laugh, and said, "Sorry pal, no time for that. I'm here to deliver an urgent message from Linus."

"Eh? What's this urgent message?" Legault asked.

"It seems that scoundrel Eliwood's group is here. Linus wants to settle everything here once and for all. Once the message is delivered, we'll attack."

L-Lord Eliwood?? A scoundrel? That's never a word you associate with him! I almost spoke, but Matt just tugged on my robe before I could.

"Unfortunately, I can carry over that job and do it for you," Legault told Igor.

Igor looked puzzled of Legault's words, and the purple-haired thief just shrugged, and said, "Actually…"—and he flicked out his daggers—"You're late in news. Let me update you. I actually defected from Fang not too long ago, and guess who I joined! That _scoundrel_ Eliwood's group. However, 'scoundrel' is the last word you could ever associate to him."

Igor looked shocked, but then it seemed he took in everything Legault said, as he took out his own weapons as well. "Traitor!" he screamed. "No one does this to the Fang! How could you, Legault! Linus would be upset!"

"How could I? Well, as I said, I found that that Nergal person and that Sonia is more of a scoundrel than Eliwood is… Tell Linus I wish him the best."

That was all that was said, and the two former-comrades almost attacked each other—but I wouldn't let it happen. I pulled hard on Legault (having to get past Matt before being able to do that) and said, "Wait, you don't have to fight! We'll tell Lord Eliwood the message! We don't have to fight yet!"

Legault relaxed, and Igor gave a grunt and did the same. He said, "Bah! I'm only doing this because Linus would get mad if I started fighting without his orders. I'm going to secure the townspeople! You go tell your Lord Eliwood."

And he turned his back on us, and left.

--------------

"You just had to stop us, huh?" Legault asked me.

I sighed, and answered him with another question. "You were friends, right?"

"Yeah," he said, but then he gave me a sort-of assuring pat on the back and said, "But don't worry. I've killed and betrayed friends even before I joined this group. This is nothing new to me now."

…Why do you even have to kill and betray your own friends? I wished I didn't have to do it in the future, ever.

He seemed to read my thoughts, and remarked, "This is a harsh world for a sweet girl like you."

"I'm not that sweet," I said. "I'm a tactician. But if I could avoid hurt, I will." If I could talk to Black Fang's Linus to convince him that we did nothing wrong, I will. But I couldn't.

-----

We ran back to the inn and told the lords about the news, and found that they already knew, and were assembling the group already.

Legault gave his forecast of what we should expect—according to him, Linus was a good swordman who had great defense and speed as well—he wasn't one to be taken down easily. And being a swordsman, his men were more often than not sword-users themselves, with other units thrown in to balance things out. There was ballistae near us, which gave us an advantage. I could wish for more bolts than five if there were wyvern riders, though…

The ballistae had to be protected, and someone had to man it. I'm pretty sure Rebecca wouldn't want to, so it's definitely going to be Wil. If there are air units, we're going to have to use our fliers and give them back-up. If majority of our enemies would be sword-wielding, the axe-wielders are going to have to take a backseat…

"You should be cautious, Lord Hector," I told the blue-haired lord, though I knew that no matter how much warning I would give him, he probably wouldn't listen.

"Bah," he said, and made a face. "If you're thinking I'm in danger because that Linus person uses swords, well, I don't think so. In fact, I want to face him head on."

I groaned. "Gah. Do you have any idea how good Sir Linus is?"

"_Sir _Linus?" he repeated, curiously.

I sighed. "I'm Bernese. I can't help but call him that. Black Fang's done a lot for Bern, you know."

"Yeah, I get it," he said. "I see it, in the way they're making sure the villagers are out of this. I'm sure Eliwood would want to talk with him—but not before I test him with my axe, first!"

Gaaah. There's nothing I can do about him. But I hoped that, as Lord Hector said, we'd be able to come to an understanding with the Black Fang.

"Then, we have to kill them?" I asked, rather absentmindedly.

Lord Hector blinked at me as if I were talking madness. "What?"

"Maybe we can talk this out with Sir Linus, and if that happens maybe he'd join our cause. If we think that would happen, maybe we should go easy on them and avoid killing them…"

Lord Hector looked thoughtful, but then someone suddenly gave me a light bop on the head. I flinched, and turned to who did it—Legault.

"Don't you dare go easy on them," the thief said. "Linus will take it as offensive. And no matter what you do, they're gonna go at us with intent of wiping us out. If we don't match that, we're gonna lose."

"But we can be allies—"

"Could be," he said. "Maybe in the future, but not now. Now, we're enemies. You've given orders to kill Fang before—what's the difference with this time?"

I wished Legault didn't have to have a point.

------

Despite hesitations, I still gave a battle plan and I still gave it my all. I remember what Sir Alecto said, the same words I remember when I found that Leila died: someone will always die, maybe not on my side, but on the other side. I'm a tactician. I can win battles, but I can't ultimately stop death or arguments.

I can't figure how Legault grew to be so numb to all this. Maybe because he was a thief, a spy, an assassin. Matt would be strictly logical during instances like this, too, but he was a little more considerate of feelings.

I thought this as I helped hand out supplies, and I suddenly caught Heath looking thoughtful as he was readying his mount. Right, he was from here, too. Being back must bring back memories.

I approached him. Chatting a little might make me feel better. "Hey, Heath. Thinking deeply?"

He was startled. And when he recovered, he said, "Oh, Kumiko. You… you caught me there. It's just that… I have few fond memories of my homeland. I'm a deserter. Yet... I can't say I'm not a little glad to be here."

"I'm glad to be here, too," I said. "There's just something different with being home. Even the air smells different. I hope I can see my family soon."

He nodded slowly, and said, "I hope that, someday soon, I too, can clear my name and return home."

-----

The battle rightfully started in the middle of our preparations—ugh, so the Black Fang finished their preparations and securing the villagers that quickly?!

I was still in the supply wagon, holding out a sword to Guy, when battle shrieks were here from our front lines. I made out Lord Hector's voice in the thick of things, and—God, he's at front when I told him to try to—gaaah!

"Incoming enemy fliers from the north!" Dart, who was on lookout by the river, yelled out. We weren't even through with preparations yet! I handed out the brand new Killing Edge to Guy as I jumped down (almost slicing his cheek as I held the sword out point first) and ran out to Dart,and looked out to the skies. Wyvern riders and Pegasus. Greeeaaat. And they were far more than three, which was all we had.

"Gah, and pirates at sea, too!" Dart said.

Darn it. "Everyone get into their groups! Don't act rashly! Priscilla will stay by the base and Serra will go with the main group! If anyone would need healing and can't reach either, try to get back to the supplies!" And this, and that. My throat stung of all the shouting, as a group had already gotten into fighting and was yelling loudly.

"What did I tell you earlier?" Legault said as I walked by him in passing. He was standing there, leaning against a fencepost, examining some silver card and flipping it around.

I made a face—an annoyed one. "Just make yourself useful. Fighting has started and the others are still missing. I can't find Raven for the love of me."

"That guy's probably at the arena," Legault said. Gaah, Raven. Arena when he's just had a serious injury? "Moreover, where's Erk?"

"He's at…" I lost my words. Wait, where was Erk??

"I saw him at Lord Hector's group…"

Darn it! Just like Raven and Lord Hector, why was he so eager to get into a fight when he knows he's at a disadvantage?! I ran off from Legault without saying anything.

----

"We've received word to attack, haven't we?" Fiora asked the other two fliers—Heath and Florina.

"Well, they're attacking. Naturally, we fight," Heath answered, as he jumped onto his mount. Hyperion seemed to understand what Heath said, and gave a small shriek of approval.

"You're going to go for them head-on?" Rebecca asked. "Wait for them a little to get here where I can give you support."

"Well, the problem is, Lord Hector's group has already made a little advance," Heath said. "If we don't go, they might attack that group, and they'd be dealing with a little too many enemies."

"We could lure them out to this point a little later, if we ever get in a bind," said Fiora.

"That's what you should do," said Dart. He looked on in his telescope—a gold one that that man from Etruria lent them—towards the curving body of water before them, and said, "But I think we're gon'a be busy pretty soon, Rebecca. Those pirates are fast swimmers, argh!"

"Well, let's try to look out for each other," said Fiora. A quick glance at the skies made her certain that there were more enemy fliers than the three of them (she, Heath, and Florina) and she noticed that with every battle the enemy fliers seemed to be increasing, coming wave after wave. _Ah, Farina, I do wish I could use your help here, sister…_

"Fiora!" someone suddenly called out. For an instant the pegasus knight thought it was the subject of her thoughts, her sister Farina, but listening more she recognized it to be a male voice—that all too familiar voice of a certain knight from Caelin…

"Kent!" She turned around to see said person, riding towards them on his horse. The red-haired cavalier then stopped in front of her. "What is it? Is anything wrong?"

Dart and Rebecca were busy keeping an eye out for the enemies, but Heath and Florina watched the cavalier and the pegasus knight in the background. And Heath swore he caught Kent blush, with the slightest look of panic in his eyes, but only for about a second. "There's… nothing wrong. I just wanted to tell you to… well, take care. Those wyvern riders are tough."

Florina gave a small, dreamy sigh, which made Heath turn to her and see that she had been watching the same thing as he had been. "He spends a lot of time with your sister, huh?" he asked.

"When I first saw Kent, I really thought he'd get along with Fiora. They're… very much alike."

Heath gave a small knowing smile—he knew a bit of Fiora since they fought together on occasion, and he knew Kent since the cavalier and him sometimes talked. And yes, they were very much alike.

He was just thinking that thinking of such things in a battlefield wasn't fitting, when he heard someone yelling, "Hey! Hey, you there! Hey! Hey, handsome!"

Heath turned around—Florina did, too—and found Legault running towards them in a wave of purple. "Handsome?" Heath asked, puzzled, when Legault stopped in front of them.

"Yeah, I mean you, wyvern knight," Legault said. The thief then flicked out a bronze card of some sort, and handed it to Heath. "I just figured it out, and I found out you're the only one who can use it now! And please do."

"What is—", Heath almost asked, but as he shifted the card in his hand, it caught on the light, revealing an almost-unnoticeable pattern on its surface. _It's not even a pattern… seems to be maps of sorts…_

"Kumi said you're good with directions and maps, so yeah, you do that. And I've been given permission to give this to you as well!"

The thief handed out a cloth bag, and Heath took it—only to find out it was heavy of gold. And before he could even ask, the thief was already on his way. "Use it well, handsome!" And the thief even added a wink to that.

Heath was left with a most puzzled expression, as if he were caught in some bizarre dream. And then he heard girly chuckles behind him—and found Florina and Fiora looking amused, Kent long gone. He blushed out of embarrassment, and said "What is wrong with that man?"

"No time for that, _handsome!_" Dart called out with a tease, and Heath visibly flinched. Then Dart was all serious again as he pointed to the skies, at the suddenly dangerously near image of the enemy fliers. "Now's a good time to fight them, aye?"

The three fliers glanced up, and hastily settled onto their mounts.

------

The scene from the front lines in the village proper was tense as opposed to by the water, where the fliers and their support were just staying there, getting prepared for a while to strike. It was all fighting here! Our group and the Black Fang have infiltrated the village market, a far too crowded place for horses, huge swords, and flying axes…

I ran as closely as I could to the scene, considering my distance. I stopped beside Rath, who was safely positioned behind some stalls, looking for a good aim for anyone who needed support.

I took in the scene splayed out before us: Sain was fighting enemy sword-users with his lance (he finally got his weapon triangle right!), Lord Eliwood was there, Lyn, Matt, Sir Oswin, Sir Marcus, Matt, Legault, Isadora, Lowen… and I bet there were still some I couldn't spot. Yes, this was the attack force, after all. The big brunt of the group went here, since Fang already put us in a bind by attacking before we thought they would—and now we have to seriously make up for it and try to put them in the defense.

I tried to recall who was supposed to be there, as Rath beside me kept shooting arrows unnoticed. And then I froze as I said, "Kent!" He wasn't there. He usually didn't disobey group assignments, and if he will I'm sure he'd tell. A shiver crept down my spine. He couldn't have been isolated and dead now, right? Ever since that happened to Erk, that's become my biggest fear. "Where's Kent?!"

I must have said it too loudly, because an enemy Sain was engaging, a couple dozen feet away from me, gave a brief pause to look at me—in which Sain found it right to stick him with his lance. I flinched at the sight, and then Sain said, "Kumiko, you're an angel of the heavens! You distracted him to help me!"

No I did not. He wiped some sweat off his forehead, and fixed the position of his headband. "Where's Kent?" I just asked, importantly.

Sain just gave a big, if somewhat a little tired, smile, and said, "He rides towards true love!"

W-What?! Does Sain even have time to act weird in the middle of a fight?! 

"Don't you dare tell him not to, Kumiko!" Sain continued. His big smile and loud voice was enough to drown out the battle behind him. "Goodness knows when Kent will find love again!"

It was getting weirder, and I decided to steer away from that topic. "Well then, where's Erk?"

"Probably fighting alongside Lord Hector, further there!" He said it too brightly that in was horrifying. "Speaking of the mage boy, Kent is totally beginning to act like him when he's with a certain someone lately…"

"Sain!" I yelled out, spotting the enemy swordmaster behind him before I could process his words. I saw Sain pause, and looked back to see what it was—I knew it wouldn't be fast enough, though. Sain was completely caught off guard. From the corner of my eye, I caught Rath change his aim, but I wasn't sure that would make it, too.

But then the ground shook, and I figured why when a horseman came rushing towards the scene—riding so quickly that for a while all I could see was a blur—and then I made it out to be Kent, lunging his lance towards the enemy swordmaster. The enemy evaded—but made quick prey to Rath's arrow. He shot him right at the head. Gaaah. I felt my stomach churn as the enemy died. I should be used to it, but why were we fighting these guys as of now? I'm sure Sir Linus would understand if we just talked!

"Thanks, Kent," Sain said, simply.

"You owe it to me to train more," the red-haired cavalier remarked.

Sain just said, "Uhh, I think I owe it to the Luck Goddess."

------

"This… is… troublesome!" Wil couldn't help but yell a little to the air as he worked hard over the ballistae. The town ballistae was probably untouched for a century—the metalwork was failing, the thing needed some oil, and the huge string it used had to be changed. If it's any consolation, the bolts were still surgical-sharp, but at the rate of things, he wouldn't be much help on the battle. Getting on Hyperion and shooting an arrow would have been more useful, if not for the strong wind up there in the air that would just redirect his arrows.

The ballistae was right near their inn, near their supplies. There were no people to help him, and he wouldn't even bother Merlinus, who had been annoyingly ranting earlier about losing some food stocks. Only Priscilla was with him, watching in a concerned way as he tried his best to set some gears of the ballistae to work. If he would succeed, at least he'd get to aim properly…

"Wil… please, if you need any help…" Priscilla said, in a small whisper.

The archer briskly shook his head. "Thank you, Lady Priscilla, but I can manage." _I don't want to answer to Senior Rave if you get a slight wound in the process!_

------

Hector was fearlessly leading the front lines, oblivious of any warning about the weapon triangle. Lyn had, in her own way, given him warning, but even that he didn't give much to. Eliwood knew better than to say anything—he knew Hector was being cautious, unobvious as it may seem.

Ninian and Nils, however, was his worry. He had been walking with them, browsing among the stalls in the town market when the fighting started. The two defenseless siblings had to be looked after, and he'd spent more than necessary time trying to find a safe place for them…

The lord spotted Hawkeye catching a small rest by the town walls, and hurriedly led the siblings to him. They miraculously evaded the battles of enemies and allies engaged, and made their way to Hawkeye, who Eliwood upon closer inspection found was checking a cut across his arm.

"Is that alright?" Eliwood asked Hawkeye, who stirred and turned to find the lord and the siblings there by his side.

"Nothing to worry about," Hawkeye said. Eliwood knew that for a smaller person like him, the wound would prove troublesome, but believed Hawkeye (who was much bigger) when he said it was okay.

Hawkeye then turned to the siblings. "You two shouldn't be here," he simply said.

Ninian almost talked back, but Eliwood spoke first. "You're right there, Hawkeye. Can you look after them, if it's no bother, or get them somewhere safe? Maybe back to the inn..."

Hawkeye just gave a nod. "Lord Eliwood, I can--" Ninian almost argued, but Nils suddenly grabbed her by the wrist tightly. She gave a surprised look at her brother, and Nils just said, "We'll be fine, Lord Eliwood. Now, you have to get back there in front, right?"

Eliwood was a little bit surprised of Nils, but then he just nodded, and set off.

--------------

Raven's otherwise steady focus was disturbed when he heard familiar battle cries, despite the noise in the arena. He noticed people checking the commotion outside as well, but they never left the Arena as well. _Something must be going on outside. Hmph, it probably involves our group._

The opponent he had to deal with was a mercenary knight, sitting there on his horse in a stand-offish way. In a glance, Raven was sure he could win, but there were other things at hand. _There's something going on outside. Is Priscilla well? Where's Lucius?_

And gold was not more important than peace of mind. (He should be filthy rich from the arena by now, but he only found carrying too much money a hassle, and gives Kumiko what he earns, for the group to use.) Raven walked towards the exit of the fighting ring, and said to the man there, "I'm quitting now. Give me my gold."

"Pathetic!" his supposedly opponent yelled from behind him. "What kind of man are you, quitting now?" Raven had been in the middle of a winning streak, so a lot of people had been wanting to beat him, and money was being gambled on his fights.

The crowd echoed the man's words, and Raven gave a contemptuous grunt and walked back into the fighting. He stood still, as if waiting for the opponent to make the first strike, and it was gratefully taken.

The cavalier charged at him, lanced pointed forward, and Raven just stood there, not even lifting his sword. This annoyed the enemy, but the moment before his lance point could touch Raven, the red-haired mercenary made a small sidestep to avoid, and quickly grabbed onto the cavalier's lance, dragging it down, along with the cavalier holding it, into the dirt.

He dug his boots into the suddenly confidence-less enemy's mid-section, and pointed his sword to his throat. "You said I was pathetic?" Raven spoke. "Well, you're lucky we met in the Arena, not in the battlefield."

Raven turned around and collected his money, and left. _Time to see what's going on out there..._

-------

"Erk! Oh, Erk, are you mad?!" I ran when I saw Erk, by some fruits stalls, putting his tome into his bag just after he set an enemy madly running around when he found that his cloaks were on fire. In the background, others were fighting as well, but I was all on Erk.

He looked puzzled to see me, though. "Kumiko?"

I stopped in front of him, and scolded, "What are you doing here? You just got a grave wound! You should still be getting rest!"

"The Archsage healed it," he reasoned, but then fliched, when his former wound suddenly stung him, as if telling him I was right. "See! I told you!" I couldn't help but say.

He honestly looked so pained when he crouched down to the ground that I felt guilty about my words. I should just help him. "W-What's wrong? Does it hurt?"

"N-Not... really..." he said, but that was such a lie, I knew. I was trying to think of what I could do to help, when I caught his eyes widen in surprise of something--and a shadow loomed overhead us. I had a bad feeling about it...

"Kumiko!" Erk put his arms around me, and dragged me out of harm's way. In a few moments, the fruit stall behind us toppled to the ground from a nasty sword, sending a mountain of apples rolling into the ground. What a good waste of fruit!

I sat there, helpless, and Erk was trying to get up to face the enemy swordmaster, but I knew he was hurting. Gods, if only I could help... He shouldn't even be fighting...

But before either Erk or the enemy could move, someone struck the enemy from behind with a lance, and we turned to find Lord Marcus.

"Both of you shouldn't be here," he said.

"I can still fight," Erk insisted, getting up and dusting his clothes.

"That's brave, boy. Then, prove it!" Lord Marcus said. In the reaches of my mind I figured he was treating Erk like Lowen.

When he left, Erk gave me a hand and helped me up. "What a good waste of fruit," I told him as I looked at the mess of apples on the market street.

"I'll tell the others to draw the enemies into an open space. We've damaged town property, and we've got to pay later somehow. Kumiko, please, get out of harm's way..."

"But I have to do something!" I insisted. "And you're the one who should--"

"I can fight. You can't. But you can ask around about Black Fang, figure how we're going to help this town, and figure how we can prevent the Liestal guard from getting here and getting involved with our business. We don't want Bern to find out about us, right?"

Erk was always incredibly smart. And he was right.

--------

"Hector..." Lyn began again, in a small break between the enemy attacks.

And Hector has heard enough of it. "I know, Lyndis. Weapon triangle... Axes are lamer than swords... Bah! Who cares about that! I'm still in one piece! I can tear apart any sword-user!"

"Excuse me!" Lyn said, indignantly. She clutched on the hilt of her Mani Katti, almost drawing it to fight Hector.

"I-I don't mean you, I mean any enemy sword-user! But I'm not saying I think I'd ever lose to you, just that--"

"That does it, Hector!" Lyn said, and Hector cursed his darn, big, fat mouth. She drew her sword and pointed it towards him. "Don't you look down on me!"

"H-Hey, you were the one looking down on me!" Hector said, and couldn't help but hold onto his Wolf Beil axe. But then the thought that it was stupid hit him. "W-Wait, we can't just do this Lyn, in the middle of all the fighting..."

Lyn calmed down and realized his point. "You're right, Hector..."

But a few moments later, Eliwood arrived to catch the two arguing about it yet again.

------

"Yes!" Wil jumped in triumph, as he finally set to working order the town ballistae. It required a lot of speedy work and patience at the same time, but he was overwhelmed that he can finally help in the battle. Priscilla was glad as well, and actually giving Wil a little applause.

"Now to see if it works out..." Wil adjusted the thing and set his sights on a target--the fliers, he figured, needed help. Heath, Florina, and Fiora were trying their best to distract the enemy fliers from engaging the land units, and he decided the three definitely needed support.

Aiming was the problem, however. The fliers constantly moved, as if they couldn't afford to stay still for a second. Wil has had experience shooting air units, and they never proved easy. But he couldn't just stay there doing nothing when he finally got the weapon to work...

He fired, and hit an enemy wyvern knight--but he barely missed Heath, and sent Fiora's pegasus into such panic trying to evade the bolt that the winged beast threw the rider off into the air.

"Fiora!" Wil and Priscilla yelled at the same time, and rushed to see what they could do.

-----

"Sis!" Florina yelled in shock, as Heath yelled, "Fiora!"

"H-Help!" Fiora managed to yell as she fell, the winds sharply going against her. She called on her pegasus, but couldn't find the beast, and she was sure the ballista bolt that passed by sort of cut through her pegasus' wings.

Florina made a quick maneuver to catch her sister, but was blocked by an enemy wyvern rider. Heath and Hyperion were the ones who quickly came to the rescue, catching Fiora, who landed harshly on her behind, on Hyperion's rough scales.

"Ooh!" Fiora said, a little more than startled. She quickly held onto Hyperion's saddle when the wyvern began to move through the air again.

"You're alright?" Heath asked, and Fiora just nodded, still looking through the skies for her pegasus. But then she noticed Heath turn a subtle shade of red and look away from her. "Umm, Fiora, your skirt," he said.

She turned to look down at her skirt, seeing the hem of it brought to her stomach due to the winds when she fell. She blushed furiously out of embarrassment and fixed her skirt properly over her legs. "I-I'm sorry!"

Heath still kept his eyes well away, but said, "Right... I'm not telling Kent."

She blushed some more, and was glad when her pegasus came back to take her. Florina also flew by, asking if she was fine, and Fiora responded that she was. Aside from the fact that she's embarrassed herself enough for ten years, she was fine.

-------

I found an unlocked home in the middle of the fighting, and took it to go in and warn whoever was inside of the ongoing chaos (and maybe get a bit of info about Fang). But as quickly as I opened the door, a girl was in front of me, obscuring inside view of the house.

She was just as small as me, and maybe just as old. Her bright green hair was blinding, but I couldn't help but gasp when I found her hands, holding onto the doorposts as if to block me from entering, were blood red. She noticed this, and said, very quickly, "Er... Is there something I can help you with?"

"Y-Your hands…!"

"I have an injured man here. Please keep your voice down!"

"Then do you know anything about the—"

"No, I don't know anything about the Black Fang!"

H-How did she know what I was about to ask? Something in here doesn't quite smell right. The girl just stared at me, blue eyes almost pleading me to leave, almost annoyed, but also confused. She was as small as me and as young as me. Does she even know what she's doing?

"Maybe I can help—I can call a healer, and I know a little of first aid…"

"No!" She almost instantly shouted, and I backed away, puzzled. Her actions just confused me, as if she were hiding something. What's so grave that she needs to be this angry? "Leave, please! You'll upset my patient!"

"I was just trying to help…"

"Can't you understand when I say 'leave'?!" she yelled, and pushed me out.

And it hurt. I yelped, and yelled back. "What is wrong with you?!" I pushed her back, and in a small instant, let my eyes travel the room and found what her small body was blocking from my view—a man, in dark clothes, bleeding profusely from a side wound. He was leaning against the far wall, unconscious. The amount of blood on the floor around him was frightening.

"Oh, God!" I cried out, and pushed the girl aside to enter the small house. Red practically painted the cold flooring, and I couldn't help but gasp. She couldn't have… no, she was too small to possibly take down a man. Besides, she said she was healing him. I knelt down beside the dark-cloaked man, my bare legs catching on some blood, but I didn't mind it. He was still breathing. Whew.

"This is something you can't handle without a good healer," I told the green-haired girl. She just stood there, looking down at me, as if expecting something to happen.

Then, for the first time—I looked up, past the man's tanned skin and dark clothes—and saw his face. And what I saw made my world freeze.

I almost choked on the name. "J-J-Jaffar!"

The girl looked most surprised. "You know Jaffar?"

I backed away from his figure, as if a half-dead, unconscious, bleeding body could do me much harm. "H-He's Black Fang! The Angel of Death…"

"And I have to heal him," the girl said, with a small pout.

"B-But he's a murderer! He's a mindless killing machine of Nergal… One of the Four Fangs…"

The girl was surprised again, since I seemed to know too much about Jaffar for an ordinary girl. But then she just said, "That doesn't matter! I still have to heal him."

"Do you even know who he is?! Do you understand what I just said?!"

"Who are we to pass judgment if a man should die? We're all murderers. It doesn't matter how many you killed or how you do it, directly or indirectly—all that matters is that one way or another, we're all murderers! Now if you're not going to help, just leave!"

I fell silent, and then Jaffar stirred in pain, and maybe because of the volume of our voices. The girl immediately took his side, and told me, voice now more controlled, "Just leave, please."

---------------

Jaffar, one of Nergal's fiercest, most important players, was right there in a house, vulnerable.

He wasn't a true man of Fang. He was I assume, directly of Nergal, as he was in the Dragon's Gate. He wasn't like Sir Lloyd or Linus. If we got rid of him, Nergal would lose a valuable person.

I could order them to attack him, right now.

_Who are we to pass judgment of a man should die?_

I tried to shake the thoughts away as I ran and ran, through a crowd of unsuspecting people, killing each other. While it's good that my friends were not the ones getting killed, the words that girl said just wouldn't leave me.

Who are we, who am I, to decide if a man should die? Isn't Fate the only thing that should decide that? We have no right over other's lives. Should men die because they have different opinions and beliefs? What if what we know as right isn't right at all?

_Someone always dies. It may not be on your side, but someone would always die._

Why did I want to be a tactician? Because my parents were consumed by war. I thought, if I were a tactician, I could prevent children from losing parents, brothers, and sisters.

What a stupid dream.

"Watch out!" someone screamed, and I just realized that I was facing an enemy, sword in hand. I trembled, and realized my cheek had been wet with tears, but not by fear at all.

The person who screamed earlier—Matt, was quickly behind the enemy, slitting his throat, right before his sword could touch me. I flinched as the man fell in front of me, while Matt looked relieved.

"It's not safe for you to be here," he said, simply. "I thought you were staying a bit behind."

I was silent. And then his eyes widened when he realized my wet face. "Damn it," he said, but in sympathy. "What happened? What's wrong?" His worry grew to something short of panic when he noticed the blood that clung onto my legs. "Darn it, Kumi! What's wrong?!"

What would Matthew say? _Kumiko, are you stupid? Why did you let Jaffar get away? Tell me where he is! I'm going to kill him! He's Nergal's man. Killing him is the logical thing to do!_

"Nothing!" I answered, and I ran away.

-----

"Isadora!"

The voice of the person who called her name was strangely familiar that it caught her off guard, failing to make her notice what the voice had been warning her about. She only realized when she came face to face with a raised sword, sharp blade glinting in the sun, making a mad dash for her head.

"Isadora!"

In a snap, a dark-cloaked figure ran towards her and took her and threw her off her horse, effectively putting her out of harm's reach. She flinched and rubbed on her hip which hurt from her abrupt landing on the ground, and looked up to see that her savior had dealt with the enemy. "Legault, you didn't have to--"

But the man turned towards her, and she immediately knew it was not the thief. Legault's cloaks came to dark purple--the figure had deep black, and was heavily hooded that she couldn't see through his eyes. He was clearly Black Fang--had he come to kill her? She unconsciously backed away into the ground.

The man knelt before her and came closer, close enough to whisper. He held a finger to his lip as if to tell her to keep quiet, and told her, "No need for alarm. For reasons of my own, I wear the garb of the Black Fang, but I'm a loyal citizen of Lycia, and I am not your enemy."

His voice sounded awfully familiar... "H-Harken?" she mumbled, speaking the first name the man reminded him of.

But he continued to speak, as if he didn't hear her. "A woman now leads the Black Fang around by the nose. When at last you confront her, use this staff." He laid out a cleric's staff on the ground beside her from his cloak. "This woman is the ringleader you seek. Her name is Sonia. Do not forget. Sonia."

"Sonia..." she repeated, glancing at the staff, but then sharply turned towards the man again and exclaimed, "Harken!" His voice--his voice was clearly Harken, and so was the voice that called her name earlier...

The figure gave the slightest shake of head, and was about to get up and walk away--if not for the feeling of the sharp of a dagger pointed to his neck.

"You get off her _now_," Legault said.

Isadora saw the figure before him--Harken, she was so sure!--hold onto his sword. She gasped--the last thing she wanted was Legault and potentially Harken to murder each other. "No, Legault, this isn't--!"

But the man had already turned to Legault, swinging his sword towards the thief's direction. Legault made a quick evade, and was determined to fight until Isadora yelled again. "No, don't fight him!"

The thief turned to the woman, puzzled. "What? What's wrong, Isadora?"

"Don't fight him!" she said, and before he could ask, they turned to find the man gone, already running away. Legault's heel's quickly turned to follow, but Isadora got up and held him. "Let him go," she said.

"Do you know him?" Legault asked.

"He's Harken," she said. "My fiancée."

-----------

"Watch over them for the meantime," Hawkeye told Lucius and Canas. "I have to fight. Lord Eliwood trusts they will be well."

"Oh, of course they will be," Canas said, as he dusted the soil from his dark shaman robes, and gave a small smile to Nils and Ninian. "We'll watch over them, yes."

Lucius had been looking worried, but managed a smile as well. When Hawkeye went off, Ninian was wearing a worried face as well, but not for Hawkeye, Nils was sure.

"Ninian."

The dancer looked down at her younger brother. "Yes, Nils?"

"Can you stop thinking of Lord Eliwood, even for a second?"

-----

Rebecca took a small break to restring her bow, trying hard to pull on it well as to make it tight in the good way--just how Raven made it when he did it for her. It was a hard task in the middle of fighting--her arms were numb from shooting too many arrows. The enemy fliers have significantly decreased, though, which meant well, and Dart (along with Dorcas and Bartre who had lent support) was fighting off the last of the pirates in the shallows. If she could finish quickly enough, she could still lend Dart some help...

"Hey, girl."

Rebecca looked up to see a man, red-haired and well built, axe dangling over his shoulders. While he could have been a pirate, his clothes were too fine. The archer raised a brow and asked, "Yes?"

"You're on who's side again?"

"Lord Eliwood's...?"

The axeman shook his head, as if in regret. Rebecca backed away in the slightest. "Wrong answer," he said. "Sorry girl, but you've gotta go."

"W-Wha--?!"

The man then just suddenly attacked her, barely missing her, slicing the bow she was restringing moments ago with only a stroke of his axe. Blood dripped from a small cut along her cheek. Rebecca jumped away, and said, "...Someone... Help me!"

She ran, while the enemy still followed her. Dart and the others were too far to hear, she was too far from the main base, her face was bleeding, and her bow was just split in half. There were no other options, except...

"W-Wait, you're not really Black Fang, are you?" she tried. "Maybe we can talk about this..."

The man stopped, gave a small sharp raise of brow, and then said, "You're right. Maybe we could. It's no fun fighting a girl, defenseless to boot. Agh, what's gotten into me?"

The tactic seemed to be working, for the meantime. "...I know it happens. We get confused sometimes," she continued, and then she dug into her satchel. "Uhm, why don't you have a sandwich? Isn't it so much better to be eating and drinking in some tavern?" Rebecca tried to give a smile, but it was still nervous at best.

He hadn't put away his axes--they remained balanced over his shoulder. His brow was raised again, as if thinking why in the world someone he was supposedly fighting has turned out offering him a sandwich. He motioned to approach her, but was only able to take a step when someone yelled, "Rebecca!"

It was Dart, arriving at the scene, dripping wet. Rebecca turned to him, and Dart turned to the archer and then to the axeman--and wore and instantly angry look. "Argh! By the tides, how could you!"

The man blinked, and was puzzled. "Dart? What are you doing here?"

"No explanations, Geitz! You hurt her, you get hurt back! Let's see how you've been doing with your axe!"

"W-Wait, Dart, I didn't know---!"

But Dart had already charged, locking axes with Geitz. Geitz had looked most startled, and tried talking again. "I didn't expect you to be here at land, and for you to be fighting here, in Bern! How was I s'posed to know the girl was your friend? Darn it, Dart, be reasonable!"

Rebecca had applied vulnerary to her cheek, Dart sighed, and backed away from Geitz. He was right--he had to be reasonable. "It's okay, Dart," Rebecca said. "I'll let Serra take care of it later. Are you friends with him?"

"S'posedly," Dart answered, eyes on Geitz. "What're ya doing here, Geitz? I thought you had business with your father's ships?"

"I occasionally set foot on land to look for trouble," Geitz answered, expression bored. "Tell me, Dart, this Eliwood's group you're in, do you get good battles?"

"Gah, we battle more than we call for!"

That seemed to be the answered Geitz was looking for. "Count me in then! Nothing better than trouble on land."

Dart had no problems recruiting Geitz--he knew Geitz would be no burden to the group--but then folded his arms and looked annoyed at Geitz. "I dunno, Geitz. If it weren't for me coming, you would've killed Rebecca."

"No, it's okay..." the archer said.

"You get listed, but from now on, you follow everything she says!" Dart suddenly concluded.

"What?!" Rebecca and Geitz exclaimed. _Pirates come up with the oddest things._

---------------

I ran off for much longer than I thought, until I ran into someone—I found red cloaks, and then Erk. Luckily it was not the enemy.

He flinched at our abrupt contact, and fell back, fingering his stitches—or where they used to be. I fell into shock when I realized I just ran into him, and so he must be hurting.

"I-I'm sorry!" I said, with a gasp.

"It's… okay…" he said, but I knew better. His voice gave him away, and I knew it must still hurt. I walked towards him to see if I could at least do anything to help, but he noticed my tear-streaked face first. "What's wrong?" he immediately asked, the pain in his voice changing to worry.

"Nothing," I said, and rubbed my eyes with my long green sleeves.

He knew better as well. He just stayed standing there, as if waiting for me to say what was really wrong. For better measure, he even looked around to see if anyone was listening in. Or maybe if there were any enemies around, as we were dangerously in the open.

He must have decided that the place was safe, as it the group had already passed by it and was made up of only blood-stained paths and dead enemies. The dead enemies didn't console me any. Erk just stayed there, looking at me, raising a hand to almost touch my shoulder but then just putting it down with a sigh again. When he did that, I noticed something new around his finger—ah, that red gem, it must be a Guiding Ring.

"Is that a Guiding Ring? Where did you get it?" I asked.

He stirred, and looked at said item on his right hand. "Ah. This. Yes. Lord Pent gave it to me."

My curiosity of the item got the better of me, and I asked, "What does it do? I heard it gives magic-users great powers…"

"That's true, and with it a magic-user will be skilled enough to commune with another magical force."

W-What? "Erk? You mean?"

"I mean, I could use another form of magic, if I tried. But I don't think it would be light magic or dark magic, as it sort of cancels out my anima. Maybe I could learn to use healing magic."

Healing magic? For some reason, a dangerous thought entered my mind. I could ask Erk to… should I? But I can't… oh, but…

"Erk?"

He turned to me and looked me in the eye, slightly tilting his head in question. "Hm?"

"If you see someone dying, do you think you should help?"

"Sure," he said, but then he added, "Unless it's the enemy."

"…Why are enemies the exception?"

He shrugged, and the answered my question with another question. "Have you ever heard or read stories where the protagonist end up helping the antagonist—say, helping him from falling off a cliff after they battle?"

Sounds familiar. I'm sure I've read something like that. I nodded. "Well," he said, "when he saves the enemy, the chances are the enemy will stab him in the back and push him towards that cliff."

Snakes, I thought. But… "But there's an off chance that the enemy will show some chivalry and let you off for the meantime, or even help you someday."

"Yes, but the chances are very slim. Why are you asking, Kumiko?"

Since he had bothered to talk and stay around to find out what was my problem, I took a breath and said, "Erk? Can you keep a secret?"

I think he rightfully translated that as "can you do me a favor". "Kumi, please just say it, and I'll do it as long as it makes you feel better."

------

"Hey, you! I've got a bone to pick with you!" Hector yelled, as he finished off an enemy, and caught sight of the enemy leader—Linus. Linus barely noticed him, though, as the area was thick of sounds of battle—the main attack group was facing what was left of Fang head-on, and Linus was being kept busy by Raven. Linus didn't look much different from Hector--he was as well built as the Ostian Lord, if only a bit taller. He continued fighting Raven, oblivious of everything else.

Hector charged right on in towards the two, who didn't even seem to notice him. "Raven! You let me handle him!"

Raven just gave him a glance as he continued exchanging sword blows with Linus, and then ignored him.

"Raven! Darn it, let me fight him!"

Linus was the one to pause and stop, and turn to Hector. "Who in the world are you, cutting in like this?"

Hector grunted, and said, "Hector, of Ostia."

The name rang a bell to Linus. "Ah, one of Eliwood's friends. You sure you want to fight? Are you as good as your mercenary friend here?"

Raven answered, "I'm better than him."

"You! Raven! Don't talk like that! We both know we're even!"

"Not at this moment, with you using an axe."

Hector gave a glance at his axe, and at Linus gleaming huge swords. From Hector's view, he could also tell that Linus had hand axes beneath his black coat. _So he can use both swords and axes? _But it wasn't going to stop the lord from having a good fight. "Raven, back down--this one's mine."

Raven had been waiting for a chance to check on Priscilla or Lucius, but hoped he didn't have to depend on Hector for that chance. Linus, however, gave a small laugh and turned to Hector. "Hah. You're insistent, fool. If that's the case, I take on your challenge."

Hector grinned, and drew out his Wolf Beil axe. Linus had the same grin on his face, and took out an extra sword, and threw it towards Hector's direction. The steel blade's point dug into the ground just before the Ostian lord. "Use this," Linus offered. "Makes everything fair."

Hector thought that was rather kind of Linus, and he would have taken the sword... if only he knew how to use it. He didn't want to expose this to Linus, so he took the blade from the ground, and threw it away. The metal skittered across the town grounds, well away from either of them. "The only weapon I need is right here," Hector said, his favorite axe ready in his hands.

Linus laughed, and almost rolled his eyes. "You think you can defeat me, the Mad Dog of the Four Fangs?"

"It's worth a try!" Hector yelled, and charged at Linus.

-----

I was there to witness a showdown between Linus and Lord Hector, with Lord Hector greatly put at the defense. It was a disadvantage, because Sir Linus' sword can use a magic attack from a distance, so Lord Hector constantly had to be at close-combat range if he wanted to avoid that. His armor doesn't protect him from that. Lyn and Lord Eliwood pitched in and helped, and in a while, the enemy leader, Sir Linus, was on his knees. And when he did, almost everything stopped--the remaining Black Fang had stopped fighting, had stopped attacking us. They all glanced at Linus, and just held their stances.

That was odd, since usually they should just make a run for it when they see their leader defeated. But no, they didn't run. That shows how much loyalty the Mad Dog of the Four Fangs commanded.

Lord Eliwood set aside his weapon, and held an arm out to Linus. "...Are you well?" he asked.

Sir Linus ignored Lord Eliwood's hand. He remained on the floor, clutching what wounds he had from the fight. ".....I lost," he said. "My brother tried to warn me... You're strong... Too strong."

I was standing behind Lyn, and I watched Sir Linus closely--and for a short while, he caught my eyes, seemed surprised, and then gave me a small boyish grin. I wished I would get to see that grin around for longer. I first saw that travelling the Bern Mountains... Sir Lloyd and Linus saved me and Mark from being bandit feed. They just helped us, left us somewhere safe, smiled, and left. They were probably on their way to a mission, and helping us had already been much of a detour. I wonder if Sir Linus ever remembers me now.

He just grinned at me, and then in a snap it was gone, when he reached out for Lord Eliwood's arm, and abruptly pulled on him, grabbing Lord Eliwood and pointing his sword to Lord Eliwood's throat!

"You'll go with me!!" he said, and we all gasped. "Eliwood!" Lord Hector cried out. The remaining Black Fang, from the corner of my eye, were in stances that spelled that they were going to make a run for it any minute.

Despite out panic, Lord Eliwood seemed calm. He just sighed, and said, "...Do as you must."

We were surprised, and even Sir Linus was. "Huh!? ...What did you..."

"...I noticed something during the battle. You did your best to keep the villagers clear of the fighting."

"Of course!" Linus said. "They've nothing to do with this. You are our target, not them."

"You are not evil," Lord Eliwood said, in a way that made the words sound like a certainty. Of course. The real Black Fang was not evil. "The Black Fang fights with honor. So why is it that we are enemies?"

"It's your fault!" said Linus. "You're the one that's evil...!" But then he put his sword away and raised his hands in the air in frustration, releasing Lord Eliwood. ".....Bah! None of this makes sense! Sonia told Father that you're a band of criminals. Father agreed, and I obeyed, but..."

_Sonia?_

Linus turned to find our puzzled eyes all on him, and he sighed and said, "...I'm going to withdraw for the moment. I'll be back when this is all straightened out."

"And then," I said, "you'll join us?"

He turned to me and grinned again. "Maybe," he said. And he called out to his units, "We're leaving! Some things must be cleared!"

The Black Fang just got on their feet, took their dead, and left. "You take care of the town now," Linus told us. "We made sure the villagers were safe--you guys take care of what comes after that."

_We take care of the repairs, and the Liestal Guards. _Noooo.

----

"That was close," Lord Hector told Lord Eliwood, but only when Black Fang was well away.

"Forgive me. I wanted to speak with him at least once," said Lord Eliwood.

"Don't worry," Lyn assured him with a pat on the back. "It's fine, Eliwood. After all, we learned a little something about our opponent."

"The Black Fang seems to have some honor after all," said Lord Eliwood. "Perhaps they really are just being used by Nergal. We should talk to their head, Brendan Reed."

Lyn nodded. "Perhaps we can resolve this without any more fighting."

Lord Hector crossed his arms and said, "I don't like it. Sounds like a terrible plan."

We all turned to him, surprised.

"We still have things to take care of now. We might have some word from Pent and the others," Lord Hector only said, and he went away, then shouting orders of what needs to be done, who needs to be paid, and how we were going to get the market area back in shape before any guards arrive.

"I wonder what that was all about," Lyn said, but Lord Eliwood kept silent. Maybe because he knew why Lord Hector was acting that way.

**End of Chapter.**

**A/N**

OH NOES MY NOVELIZATION BECAME A ROMANCE!!! NOOOO!!!

I promise the lovey-dovey scenes end here. Gaaah. NO MORE ERK IN THE FUTURE I PROMISE! (Unless people actually love it.) This chapter actually had a scene where Erk finally tells Kumi, but I deleted it. Erk overload, I say.

Thanks to the reviewers and the new people who are reading the story! If you have any suggestions, feel free to tell! And sorry this was so delayed. Really busy at school, exams and tours and projects and all. I'm pretty soon going to join a school contest. Exams tomorrow. I barely have anything to answer. Wish me luck.

This chapter was the length of two chapters... I wonder how long it took you guys to read it. It actually runs more than 50 pages on Word. I hope it compensates for my lateness. I don't think it's as satisfactory as the last chapter, though. Late as I am, this chapter was rushed in writing. And it may be too long.

If Sorenfangirl04 is reading this… Gah! I beg you to update your fic! Am I the only one I know in this part of ff who manages to update regularly (despite being late sometimes?)

Okay, okay, everyone is relieved that Erk is alive. Yay. (I honestly considered killing him, but… *shrug* I received too many violent reactions.)

Uhm, question. Does anyone want Erk and Kumi to get together? Or does anyone strongly oppose, or want Erk-Serra or Matt-Kumi or something else entirely? O.O Please tell. I can't decide between Matt-Kumi or Erk-Kumi now… cause I admit, the Erk-Kumi scenes are pretty cute. ^^ But then again, this is a novelization before it is a romance. Gaaah.

Kent-Fiora over Kent-Lyn, sorry to those who don't like it. I really had to do this with Lyn-Hector in mind, because that's what's set to happen in my FE6 fic. Btw one of the people I wished supported with Fiora is Heath, since I always use 'em together. Kinda reflects here, but isn't a pairing.

Please don't worry about LegaultxHeath… Legault's just teasing. It's pretty obvious that I have LegaultxIsadora (xHarken).

Elinian! Sorry for those who can't bear, but note that I'm not that fond of the pair, but it's the obvious choice. I just realized I've been neglecting the sweet Nils, so I'll make up for him some more! I've also been neglecting certain characters (e.g. Serra, Dorcas, etc...) so if anyone has any good suggestions of scenes for them, please tell!

XDDDD Linus and Hector fight scene… if you guys know what I mean…

If you notice that I tend to make the ballistae cause a bit of harm, it's because I think they are realistically impractical during a fight in FE. They're siege weapons, and I don't think they'd be any decent to hitting a moving target, unless there's a lot of them.

Heath strikes me as one of the more observant characters in the game. But while he's observant, he doesn't pry (as opposed to Kumi). Aye? I also dreamt I hugged him once, and he smelled gooood.

I just realized I tend to portray Raven as really cool.

This chapter by far has too many references to many things (it should, noting how ungodly long it is): things of the future (encountering Jaffar and Harken), things mostly set to happen in the FE6 timeline (Anko and Zephiel's relationship is a bit established for my FE6 fic), and things from other non-related Fire Emblems (Linus and Hector fight scene is all LOL).

Note to some people:

**DarkBlaziken:** Sell this as an FF novel? How?! Won't I have copyright issues with Nintendo if I even tried to sell this? That aside, I really want to make money off this, but I don't know if anyone will buy this. It would be a great undertaking, though, and I'd have to fix my earlier chapters. (And hire a beta and proof reader) And btw, I saw a book here by Matt Reilly. I'm still wondering if I should go buy it, since you claim that he RAWKS. xD

**Terran34: **Gaaahh! (--hides--) I was not properly inspired to write the battle, soo… (--hides again--) I hope this 50-plus page chapter is enough for you...

**BanditsoftheSea: **I believe that maybe a glitch, Lawl. As I said in my Prologue chapter, I wrote the first seven chapters without any idea what I was gonna do with it. I wrote that in thinking that Kumiko is actually secretly a mage, but several chapters later, I drew back on the thought. For now, I just made Kumiko a bit magic-sensitive, but not a mage. I've yet to correct my earlier chapters and check them for consistency. O.O

**Jade: **Uh, I spared Erk because you said I've gone insane (I really am, for the record) but I hope you like the turnout!

Random Notes: This chapter was awfully long (I hope it wasn't too long for you guys), so in proportion, the Author's notes were long as well. Since a have a long chapter with so much going on, a detailed review would do me some good. Like it this long? Love a particular scene? You think you're on the same page as me on something? Think I should burn and die for resurrecting Erk? Think all the sap should die? Flames? Please tell.

Expect major character updates for the next chapter.

-kageshoujo

Mood: T.T (boy problems... why can't God just give me Matt or Heath...)

Drinking: good 'ol water

Reading: Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva

**NEXT CHAPTER PREVIEW: WHEREIN WE SEE MORE MATTHEW AGAIN**

_"Matthew, come closer."_

_He... inched awfully close to her that I couldn't help but raise my... brows. "I always knew you had that kind of interest in me," he teased._

_The moment she spoke into his ears was the start of everything again._


	31. YEHEY UPDATE HAS COME

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: UNFULFILLED HEART

* * *

_Bern: the greatest military force on the continent. The Bern royal family: a pageant of power, love, and hate. _

The woman in the chamber cried, unusually. She was not one to cry. The Queen of Bern was not a crier. At least, not when everyone saw, thought Anko.

_We are here in this manse, while you live in the palace with... that woman._

_How can you despise Zephiel so? He is of your blood. He is your beloved son, is he not?_

_I have heard that Zephiel is... a gifted student, a stunning fighter, excelling in all he tries. And I've also heard that he is much loved by the people. I... excelled at neither books nor blades. I cannot say that I command the love of my subjects... Zephiel and I are opposites in every way. It is hard to believe that he is my son._

_Zephiel is Your Majesty's child! Your Grace, you know this is truth! Your Majesty! King Desmond!! Please... Please wait! He is your heir! Your son!_

Anko watched from the balcony window of the queen's chamber, hiding behind glass and a wave of curtains. The King of Bern had visited the manse in the far-off forests of Rhine, and left on an awful note. An implied denial of a son, and an announcement that the Fire Emblem, the ceremonial gem absolutely needed for the prince's coming ceremony, had been stolen.

A woman, quite certainly of royal blood, had come to comfort Queen Hellene of Bern. The visiting woman had probably travelled by foot to Bern, considering her clothes--her skirt was cut short enough to give her freedom to move, unlike the long dresses that noblewoman wore.

There was also a man with the two women--he stood there, behind who Anko assumed was his wife, who comforted the queen. He looked sympathetic, but there was a look in his eyes that suggested something else, Anko thought. _He needs something._

A closer look at his face gave Anko a name. _Count of Reglay, what are you doing here?_

Eventually, the answer came out. The Shrine of Seals. _What would anyone even be looking for in that old---_

The Queen, despite her emotions, looked up sharply to the Lord of Reglay at his request, and Anko made out a small raise of brow. Despite what Queen Hellene seemed, she was intelligent. She was not one to be used easily. _A waste that King Desmond pits her here. _

"Then," she said, "I believe this answers part of my problem, Lord Pent. Find the Fire Emblem, I give you the location of the Shrine of Seals."

Anko couldn't help but give a little grunt. She knew that she could find the Fire Emblem, alone, in the most covert way possible, more than any noble who just stepped in the scene. But Queen Hellene saw her as affiliated with the king, and would never ask her to do the task.

She stepped away from the windows, and the movement caused the Queen of Bern to get her heels. "Is someone there?" But before they could lift the curtains to check, Anko was gone.

------

The temporary encampment of the remainder of Linus' group was silent, as the members tended to their wounds or buried their dead. Linus had almost regretted his decision to confront Eliwood's group. If only he had listened to Lloyd. The casualties had been dealt, and there was nothing he could do about them--what pained him was the fact that some had to suffer before he could reach an understanding with Eliwood. On the other hand, he never would have been able to think twice of what he was doing if he had not met the Lycian.

_Ever since that woman came, he was not the same._

Linus remembered then--his father's announcements of remarrying, an introduction of a woman. Sonia. Sonia, who seemed to effortlessly move his father and everything under him like chess pieces. He was right when he suspected, ever since the beginning, that the woman was not trustworthy. But he and Lloyd refused to act then, thinking of their father's happiness. If they had acted then...

But what if that Eliwood had been bluffing? What if that were all for show? _He had killed your friends, you have killed theirs. We've been enemies for long now!_

But there was a sense of honesty from Eliwood, which Sonia never had.

"...I've got to talk with my brother," he told the air, as he impatiently paced back and forth in a secluded area of their encampment. "I'm not sure it's wise to trust that woman--"

And then he stilled. And felt pain.

He looked down to his stomach, finding a bloody blade of a dagger piercing through. He held it, thinking he was dreaming. His own blood clung onto his hands, and there was pain once more when the dagger was pulled out, and Linus groaned in the pain.

He fell to the ground, clutching the wound, looking up to see the dagger-wielder. "You... Who are you...? I never felt you... ......nothing....."

The golden eyes of his attacker only watched him silently.

".....Curse...s... ...I've...blun...blundered... Brother...I'm sorry..."

And in a second, the Mad Dog of the Four Fangs was dead.

-------

The sun was gone. Lord Pent and Lady Louise still weren't around. I decided to get some rest as the others fixed things, but lying in bed, I couldn't get any at all. There were so many random thoughts in my head—the events today, the day tomorrow, the days ahead. Sir Alecto. Jaffar. The Black Fang. Lord Pent and Lady Louise. Things of similar nature. They were all rambling and ambling about in my head… I decided to go around, and found that Erk's room was open a creak.

"Erk...?" I crept into his room. We now shared something in common now, a common secret.

He was surprised when I dragged him there--with what he was faced with and what I asked of him. But with two girls pleading him help, he must've thought he had no choice. Or maybe it's because of what he told me earlier--"I'll do it as long as it makes you feel better".

"Kumiko?" He was sitting on his bed, and he looked up from his book. He was surprised--it was too late in the evening for this. A lone lamplight was burning on a shelf, and at the other bed, Legault was sound asleep.

I crept to Erk, and sat beside him. "I couldn't sleep," I told him, keeping my voice low so that Legault wouldn't be alerted. The thief unnerved me, though. He looked completely asleep, but I knew better.

He knew why, and maybe he thought the same of Legault. So instead, he offered, "Would you like something to read? I could lend you something, but I doubt it would interest you."

I shook my head. I was still in the middle of the war god and goddess book. A silence passed, and I asked, "...Did I do the right thing?"

"We can't tell yet," he said, honestly. "One day, it might work out in our favor, but we can't tell yet."

I smiled at his wording—_our. _Nor just _your. _Both of us were in it together. We didn't lose anything, at least. At least not yet, but... "Will you keep it secret?"

"I said I would."

I looked him in the eye. The faint moonlight made the purple shine in an ethereal way. "Forever?" I asked.

"Forever."

I smiled genuinely. At least I wasn't alone in it, and I knew I could depend on him. "Thanks, Erk. I love you," I said with a small laugh.

He backed away a small distance, and there was silence. I didn't know if I said something wrong, but then he took a breath and said, "Kumiko, can you keep a secret?"

I was puzzled at the turn of words, but I nodded. Was he finally going to tell me his secret? The one he tried to tell for long?

"I love you, too."

------------

I blinked, managed a smile, and said, "Well, thank you, Erk."

He looked puzzled, and even offended. What? Did I say something wrong? "Thank you?" he repeated, questioning.

"Uhm, you know. I appreciate it."

"Did you hear what I said?"

"...Yes." I told him, certainly. "And thanks for it. It's sweet of you." I tried to smile, but was more puzzled than anything.

He looked absolutely puzzled as well, and just said, "...Yeah. It is. You're welcome, I suppose."

The conversation had hit an awkward, puzzling bump. Well, I wasn't really puzzled at first, but Erk looked absolutely puzzled out of his mind, and it certainly affected me. What? Was my response wrong? Sir Alecto told me that if someone told me he loves me, I should just say thank you and smile. That was something about proper etiquette befitting a noble. So I couldn't possibly have done anything wrong.

It was getting uneasy, so I just said, "Uhm, I suppose I should try getting back to sleep."

"Yeah, I suppose you should," he just agreed.

Before I could reach the door, he tried again. "Kumi, did you really hear what I said?"

"Clearly."

"Do you know what it means?"

"Of course!" I said. "And even if you didn't say it, I already knew that you love me. We're friends. You always look out for me. You saved me once or twice. So of course you love me. You wouldn't do that if you didn't care, right?"

He still looked absolutely puzzled and somewhat disappointed. What? What was wrong? He took a breath and said, "Is this your way of shutting me out or are you just naïve?"

"What are you talking about?"

Legault rolled over in his bed, and covered his ears with a pillow. He was awake. He was an assassin of Fang. He isn't supposed to move around in sleep unless he's not asleep at all.

"...Nothing. Forget it. Goodnight."

----------------

I was awake to witness the first of the sun's rays come out into the sky. I think I hardly slept, with so many things to think about. Lord Pent, Lady Louise, my own mentor, and slight thoughts about Erk acting weird.

Last night, as I predicted, Legault came knocking in my room door, lightly enough, as to not wake Florina who was sleeping in the same room. He let himself in without a word, and he looked like he was suppressing a yawn.

He plopped onto my bed, and l moved away to make space for him. "For goodness' sake," he said, voice half-sleepy, "Will you just tell mage boy that you love him back?"

Huh? "What're you talking about?"

"He's not going to get any sleep, you know, thinking about you."

So I was right—Legault _was_ awake to hear everything earlier. "He's not the only one who can't get sleep," I said.

"Make that three of us," Legault said.

"Things are bothering you?" Now that I think of it, I never saw Legault less than his smirking self. Maybe it's because of his sleepiness, but even if you wake him in the middle of sleep, he never showed that. A part of him was like Matt since they were in the same field—they could always wake up at the tiniest of sounds and be alert at the snap of fingers. So Legault being like that was odd.

"Nothing," he said. "Just had something short of bad dreams. I should, with you and Erk screaming around in our room."

"We weren't screaming!"

"So you say, so you say. Maybe I should get a good drink or two to fall asleep. You want some?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't drink that stuff. Unless it's sweet wine."

He gave a small laugh. "Hah, always picky, aren't we, Lady Genevieve?"

He laughed, at least, so I decided to let him off for calling me by my other name. "Well, we should always settle for the best, shouldn't we, Sir Legault?"

He smiled, and got up and gave a bow. "So you say, so you say. I'll take my leave then, my lady."

I laughed, got up, and gave him a curtsy. He looked amused, and then left. I should thank him for getting my mind off things, because shortly after that I fell asleep.

Now it was morning, and no news yet from Lord Pent and Lady Louise. I knew we would wait around for a little while, but I started packing my things already. No matter what happened, we were still going to be on the move. Florina soon got up as well, and followed suit.

"Do you think they're going to come back?" Florina asked, as she packed her own things.

I shrugged. "Don't know. They probably will. They have to. And despite appearances, Lord Pent should be capable of some sneakiness. They'll get away with it."

-------

I was supposed to be having breakfast in the dining hall of the inn, but I gave up on it entirely because of the food—it looked a few days old and tasted a few days old. I almost complained to the innkeep, but then again we rented his inn for our huge group for a slightly discounted price, so I wouldn't be one to complain.

There were a few others on the table earlier but they've given up on eating as well, and have decided to use their own purse to buy decent meals. I could see the baker's from across the dining hall's window, smell the bread in the air, and see Raven buying freshly baked bread. Florina went with her sister to find a good meal as well, and of course I didn't think Lord Hector or Lord Eliwood would be able to take this. Lyn must have tagged along with them, wherever they went.

Lucky them. I didn't have much money for my own purse, so I couldn't indulge myself. I don't exactly go to the Arena, unlike Raven or the rest of the guys who can make their own fortunes fighting.

To forget about the bread scent filling the air, I turned to my Bern-insignia-pendant, thinking of how I could tie it to some thread or twine again, thinking if I should do that since if I wore it around my neck it'd be a sight for muggers. Thinking of Sir Alecto who gave it to me not exactly telling me what it was. Maybe he hoped it'd serve me one day, paired with my noble-colored hair and all. Does he think I shouldn't leave nobility behind? Or maybe he thinks that part of my history will have some use, in the future...

"I've eaten worse things, but this is just..." Matt's voice broke my thoughts. He made a face at the food bowl, and then looked up at me. "Hey, Genevieve. Surely you can demand something."

I made a face as well, but towards Matt. "Noble or no noble, you can't make demands unless you have the gold to pay."

He then turned to watch the person at the end of the table, and I followed to see Heath eating normally without complaint. When he caught us staring, he blinked. "Yes?" he asked.

"You can't seriously be enjoying that," said Matt.

"I'm not," Heath said. "But I've eaten worse things. You can't complain if you're a soldier."

"Which I am not, and glad that I'm not," Matt said, as he pushed his bowl aside.

And then I asked, "Where's Legault?"

Matt answered knowingly. "Drunk. You don't want to be talking with him."

And then I asked, "Where's Guy?"

Matt answered in the same knowing manner, and I had the idea that he could tell where everyone was at that moment. "Drunk. Drunk and throwing up all over the floor. You don't want to be talking with him for the moment as well."

I gasped in disbelief. "How did that happen?! Guy's not the kind..."

"Legault talked him into it, and he actually listened!" Matt said. "What is wrong with that man..."

I remembered Legault the night before, where he wasn't exactly his usual self. Maybe something was really wrong...

"Isadora," Heath said, and Matt and I looked around to see if the paladin had come. But then we realized that wasn't what the wyvern knight meant. "He may have problems with Lady Isadora."

"Who says so?" Matt asked. I nodded, seconding the question. As far as Isadora is concerned, she hasn't done anything, as far as I know, to get Legault to act like this.

Heath shrugged. "A barmaid told me. Said he was saying something about a fiancé."

Matt leaned towards Heath's direction, as if he couldn't believe what he heard, but he also looked offended and critical. Maybe because Heath knew before he did?

"You sure you're not a Bernese or Black Fang spy?" Matt asked.

"No! Of course not!" He was just too observant for his own good. Well, he didn't have much to do, not fitting in with the other groups and all that. He was from a different country, a different nationality. Almost everyone in the group was Lycian, and if they weren't, we've met them too early to matter, or they knew someone from the group. Guy knew Matt, Priscilla knew Erk. While Heath knew Priscilla, he knew her in a sense that he saw her face before, not knew her like they were friends.

I sometimes see him talking with Kent, but Heath's no Lycian knight. He can't really fit in with them. He can't really regularly train with them too, as he wasn't a horse-riding kind of knight. He gets along with Fiora and Florina, but it would be something short of an embarrassment if he stuck with them.

I came to Heath's defense. "The barmaid just thought Heath was cute, so she accidentally told him that in an effort to chat with him."

"I'm sure it's not that..." Heath said, but he was being modest. Two barmaids have asked me for Heath's name. Ah, they do love a man in Bern's wyvern knights' armor.

"Well then," Matt said, playing with the days-ago-old-food in his bowl with his spoon, "I'm sure Legault will be back to his senses anytime soon. Give Guy a few days, though."

Moments after, footsteps walked into the dining room, and Nils appeared, rubbing his eyes, looking like he just tumbled out of bed with bedmarks on his face. "What's for breakfast? Is it bread? I smell fresh bread." he asked.

Not the best question. "Uh, something you surely wouldn't find good. The bread is from next door."

Nils made a disappointed face as he sat on the table, and just then, Raven came in, carrying a bag of bread. We all turned to him and probably drooled, save Heath who kept his eyes well away from the mercenary.

He grunted, took a piece from his bag, and tossed the warm bread towards me. I caught it and was about to half it for Nils, but then Raven gave one to Nils, too.

And then he just left. "Hey, why don't I get one!" Matt called out, but there was no response.

"He's a good guy," I told Matt, as Nils picked off his bread and I broke mine to share with Matt and Heath.

"No thanks," Matt said as I handed him a piece. Heath declined, too. Nothing I can do about that. "He's a good guy, sure," Matt continued, but somewhat sarcastically. "As long as you don't do anything to Lucius or his sister."

"Sister?" I asked, puzzled.

"Forget I ever said that," Matt said, and then he forced himself to scarf down breakfast.

----------

I started reading in the dining hall to divert my rumbling stomach. I sure wished for more bread, but I wouldn't dare ask more from Raven. I almost took my purse and bought some, but I just had to be reminded that I was saving up for a thousand silver pieces which I promised the temple in Geneva for Erk's life. God, I shouldn't have said that. But if the Archsage says gods were real, I shouldn't offend any of them.

Speaking of gods, that was what I was engrossed in—that tale of the war goddess from Lord Athos. So far, I've learned a few things about the goddess. She was mortal before being a goddess, and was made immortal by the god of war. So he makes her immortal and marries her. Awesome. I meant that sarcastically. Because he didn't _love _her. Love is all that matters, right? But he didn't love her! He only took her because he was eeevil. His thinking is twisted. When there was a mortal woman who posed as a threat to his superiority in war-making and tactics, what does he do? Instead of fighting her, or challenging her fairly, he forces her to come over to his side, having power over her because he's her husband. I didn't really get that this was his motive at first, if only Matt didn't peer over what I was reading and ask what it was.

"Wow, was he evil," Matt told me. "Marrying her and making her immortal like that."

"What's evil about that?" I asked. "I think he liked her. What's wrong with that?"

Matt looked at me gravely as if he couldn't believe me. "You don't understand it? He didn't like her. She was a threat to his superiority, and a hindrance to everything he did and could do. Whenever he blessed an army to win in war, it never happens if she is the tactician for the other side. She always beats him. So he had to get rid of her."

"Then why does he marry her and make her immortal?"

"The best way to get rid of your enemy is to make them your friends. In marrying her, he makes her immortal, and in that one move makes her his property and also detaches her from mortal mankind."

"But you're not supposed to marry for that reason! Love is all that matters!"

He gave a long sigh, and said, "Well, marrying isn't that easy for nobles and gods—if gods still exist."

Which is why I don't want to be a noble, I almost told Matt. But I just said, "Then, why does she agree to marry him? If she's really smart, she should be able to read his motives, right? Right, Matt?"

"Up to you to find out," Matt said, as he pushed the book to my face. He also stared at me for a long while and said, "There are also very smart people who can win battles but can't read another person's motives to save their lives." He said that very seriously, and then he left. What in the world did he mean by that?

I've read another page since then, and I thought, it was really good to be a free person. I didn't want to be a noble, and not at all a goddess. I just wanted to be free, with no one telling me what to do and forcing things on me.

...And who gave me that freedom? My father, Sir Alecto. He saved me. I watched the pendant he gave me glow in my hands, and I knew I had to make a decision.

-------------------

Lord Pent and Lady Louise have arrived. An errand must be done. We need to find the Fire Emblem, the ceremonial gemstone of Bern. Without it, the prince can't be the rightful heir to the throne. Without it, Prince Zephiel can't even be king. If it isn't found before his coming-of-age-ceremony, his hopes of being heir is gone. But who in their right mind would steal the Fire Emblem? Someone with hatred for the prince? But if I hear the citizens right, he is such a good person... who would even hate him? Unless the prince is pronounced heir, Queen Hellene won't help us find the Shrine of Seals. And if we don't find the Shrine of Seals, we can't defeat Nergal. And if we can't defeat Nergal...

The lords thought we should investigate Bern Keep, first. I would try to tell them that it would be hard to get in the capital during these times—but Lord Pent and Lady Louise said it was quite the contrary—there were so many people flocking to the capital that they've dropped guards altogether. It would be easy to get mixed in the crowd in the towns. But the town itself isn't the main problem—the Keep was surrounded by forest and mountain, and no person dares trek those paths without a guide. Bern is like that—highly dense and mountainous on the interior, with plains and valleys outside those, and then mountain ranges again.

It would be hard work getting into Bern Keep. Not even my status in Bern can get me in there. Besides... I wasn't going to be part of any of it.

"Lord Hector," I approached said lord when I cornered him alone in the dining hall, Lyn and Eliwood gone to check on one thing or another. Oswin wasn't there, Matt wasn't there. Just me and Lord Hector.

He was staring out the window, thinking deeply. He looked at me and was surprised to find me already good to go, my hair fixed, my cloak around me, my bag slung on me. He almost asked, but I spoke before he could.

"I have to see my father," I told him, determined. "I... I know it would be reckless, and I know that it would be irresponsible, but he became my family when everyone else left me. I have to see him. I'd regret it if I lost him to disease and I'm not there to help him. I'd take any punishment, Lord Hector, just..."

He just stared at me seriously, and asked, "Are you going to come back?"

I nodded, and left my head bowed low. When Lord Hector bothered to look serious, he was frightening—he really seemed like a lord and nothing else. "If you'd still take someone irresponsible as me, yes, I'd come back."

"Then what in blazes' name are you talking about?!" He erupted. "Punishment? Stop talking as if we're not friends here. Go ahead. It's not far, right? Take someone with you. Take the wyvern knight to make travel faster. And take Matthew to watch your back. All that matters is that you're coming back, right?"

"...All that matters is that I'm coming back?"

"Yes," he said. "Because I've got a contract with you and I'm not about to see it break. Because you know too much about the whole deal to just go. Because you've kept the group together, and it doesn't matter that Oswin or I could lead the group in battle, since _you_ are the one they've learned to trust."

"I'm coming back no matter what!" I told him, somewhat happy. I thought Lord Hector would shut me out and think me plain irresponsible, but... oh, thank goodness he understood...

"To be honest," he said, "I've been wondering when you were going to come and ask this. I've asked Oswin about where you live and how long it could take for you to get there. Not too long, right? Our group is a big group—it would take at least half a day for us to get to the capital. Or at this state, with Lord Pent and Lady Louise arriving late, it would take a day or so. If you decide to come back, you can find us anytime, as you're from here and that wyvern knight is from here, and you both know the lay of the land. We'll try not to get in trouble while you're gone."

I couldn't believe he said that, and that he's already thought of the possibilities of me leaving. "Lord Hector, I'm..."

"I've lost my father to disease, and the worst thing about it is that you just can't do anything to save him. All you can do is be there. So go! Get there quickly, and then return to us."

--------------

I was surprised to find that Heath already knew what I was going to ask of him, and was already prepared to leave. Matt was already hanging around, ready with his own stuff. I found Lord Oswin in the background giving a small smile, as if he were the planner of all this.

A few others have come to watch us ready our stuff and go. They've been giving me things to bring, like Merlinus giving me a pan of pie for my family, and Heath had to sadly remind us that Hyperion won't be able to handle the weight if we went overload. Three people on a wyvern was pushing it. Matt gladly volunteered to just walk, as he didn't like flying any, but Lord Oswin reminded him that he was there to watch my back.

"And remember that we'll be waiting for you," Lyn told me, just as we were about to go off.

Rath was there, and he said, "We'll be praying to Mother Earth and Father Sky for your safety."

I nodded. "And do tell Guy to get well," I said. He wasn't there to see us go off, as I guessed he still wasn't feeling well. I couldn't find Legault, either.

Heath told us it was time to go, and just as I was about to jump onto Hyperion, I heard horses from the distance, and someone screaming, "Wait! Don't go!"

It was Sain, riding so quickly that I swear I felt the ground shake. He stopped before us, and breathlessly jumped off his horse. He looked torn up and beat up as well—there were scratches on his face and new ones on his armor, as if he just got into a big fight. Before I could ask, he handed me a pouch, and I felt it heavy with money.

"Sain?! What in the—" 

"Not my idea!" he said. "For your purse. Raven says you can't even buy bread for yourself. If you're going to go back to your family, you should at least have something to show them to prove that you've been working well!"

I looked on in the background and found those who have been with Sain—Kent and Wil, looking equally scratched up. Wil gave me a big smile and a wave. I also found Raven, sitting there on a bench, looking a bit tired himself. Oh... those guys... did they go to the Arena to raise money for me?

I almost teared up, but I tried to hold it in and I just said my thanks. I got onto Heath's wyvern, and I knew I was definitely going to come back.

-------

"Wait! Darn it, you're not leaving me behind! Wait!"

"What the--?!" I turned back to find Legault running after us, creating quite a commotion. We haven't risen from the ground much yet, and the next thing I saw was Legault taking a huge cat leap, grabbing onto Hyperion's tail. The wyvern wailed and flailed about, and I hugged Heath in fear. The people down the ground gasped as Hyperion and Heath fought for balance, and I could hear Matt screaming at Legault. "Goodness, are you mad?! Let go!"

Legault looked down the ground, and said, "Too late! We're too high up! Just help me here, will you, blondie?!"

I was grateful I didn't have much breakfast. Matt pulled up Legault, Hyperion gave a gruntish sort of sound and then flapped his wings to gain better distance from the ground. When he flapped his wings, strong wind came about, and I had to close my eyes and hold on tight to Heath to save myself from being blown off the wyvern.

In a few moments we miraculously gained balance, and Matt turned to Legault before I could. "What in the world is wrong with you?!" Matt yelled. Even in the air with the wind going about, it was still loud. "Are you still drunk?!"

"I'm pretty much over it, thank you very much," the other thief said. "Come on, every good thief needs a break away from the stressful stuff."

"I heard Isadora has a fiancé," Matt said, straight to the point.

Below us, we were moving towards the Rhine river. Legault just gave a small smile and said, "Yeah. I knew that before. Imagine if I met her earlier, though? I'd never leave a woman like that alone."

The smile on his face would have suggested it was a joke, but I very much knew that it wasn't.

-------

"Seriously, why are you here?" Matt asked Legault again. I was counting the money Sain gave me, but I was on my seventh try, as somehow I always lost count.

"Don't do that here, that's going to fall," Legault told me. "And I'm here because I am," he told Matt. "I have to pay Kumi's friend a visit, too."

"Anko?" I was surprised. "I thought you'd want to hide from her as much as you can?"

"Her father's ill, right? She's a thief, too. No matter how hurt she is and no matter how helpless she is, she's still going to smile and hide it. Like should help out like, you know."

I almost believed him there, but Matt said, "Oh, really? Well, I happen to think that you're seeing her only because Isadora's taken, and you're looking for other prospects."

"Shut up, blondie. Aren't you here because you want to see that other spy of Ostia, who you claim has a crush on you?"

"I'm here as Kumi's personal guard, stupid."

Well... let's just say the ride never got quiet.

-----------------

The two thieves only ever paused to stop talking when they noticed we were getting near. We've crossed the river and a few mountains, and were by the capital. When we flew over a mountain, Bern Keep suddenly came into view, always majestic, built on top of that mountain. They said it was the highest structure in Bern, and I'm pretty sure it towered other castles in Elibe, too.

Hyperion stopped on a mountain peak, and Heath prompted us to get down. We did, and when my feet were on the ground I looked around—what a view. You can see the castle, the forests, the mountains, and all the little villages and towns. In the horizon, the sun was near to setting, the world was in a subtle orange. Hyperion gave a satisfied sound and curled up on his place for a rest.

Heath looked at our supplies, and I looked over the land. The wind from where we were (on top of a mountain, god!) was so cool. I tugged my cloak around me.

"Cold?" Matt asked from behind me. I turned around to see him, cloak flapping in the wind. I was about to answer, but then something—a warm wash of cloth—came over me, making me see black. Legault had thrown his cloak over my face. "Legault!"

He laughed. "You use it! I'm quite used to the cool."

We stood there for a while, the three men admiring the scenery, and me straining my eyes to find the forest by the castle where our guild was hidden. Ah, it was always so hard to find...

"Your legs would have to be dead before you reached the castle gate," Matt suddenly remarked, noticing the steepness of the mountain Bern Keep was on.

"It prevents just anyone from getting in," Heath said. I just recalled that, being a knight, Heath must've spent even a little time in Bern Keep. "If you're an important person, you'll be spared from the walking and climbing. There are wyvern rider escorts at the mountain foot and the gate."

"Lord Hector is so going to have a hard time climbing that," Matt said. Oh, god, he was right.

Legault, however, faced the other side of the view—he looked over through thick clouds and fog, at white snow covering over villages and forests. It was faint, concealed by a few hills, but it was definitely there. The rest of Bern was lush and green, and that small area, south of the capital, was white.

Matt spotted it as well. "Curious. What in the world is that? It's not the winter season. I think it's almost fall. So why is it white over there?"

"That," Heath said, "is the beginning of the Regrada region of Bern."

Memories, some I've long buried and almost forgotten, started to resurface. Matt gave me a glance, but Legault kept staring, as if he had memories there as well.

"There's always snow there. They say it has something to do with magic," said Legault. "There's spring, there's snow, there's barely a summer, and there's a long fall. Well... Regrada's climate is still pretty odd. If you live there, you only ever notice the fall and the snow. The summer thins out the snow a bit, but... well, it doesn't completely vanish."

"It's definitely the odd one out among the cantons," Heath said. "But they say the best tacticians of Bern come from Regrada." That was true, and not a flattery. Heath didn't know I was from Regrada, much more part of its nobility.

Matt still kept glancing at me, as if trying to make connections with the region and me. The oldest tale I heard about Regrada resurfaced. "They say the white fields are the trains of the patron goddess' gown, and the snow are her tears. When it snows, she's mourning."

"You think we'll be going there?" Matt asked.

Well, I certainly hope not.

But Legault answered. "I think we will. I sort of think we will."

---------

Erk had kept looking over the group as if searching for someone, though he's done that three times already and was sure that he was absolutely correct. She wasn't around. So were the two thieves, so was the wyvern rider. Where did they go? They've probably stuck together. But to where...

"Stop looking around, you won't find her," a voice behind him said. He turned to find Serra, Priscilla, and Rebecca, walking leisurely. Serra was the one who spoke.

He quickly noticed that the walking made the white of Serra's robes catch on mud again, but all he said was, "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Serra rolled her eyes, and Rebecca just giggled. "Oh, the denial!" Rebecca said. "We know who you're looking for. We'd be blind to not notice."

"Not notice what," he said, turning his back on the ladies.

Serra kept talking. "She's a noble, you know..."

Erk knew the logical thing to do was stop talking, but he spoke before he could think. "I've heard about that. So what." Erk wasn't any noble, but he definitely wasn't some peasant, either. He was a scholar, the Count of Reglay's student and almost his son. He definitely had good if not decent social standing.

"Right," Priscilla said. "What does stature matter? If you're in love, it doesn't matter at all."

A few feet from them, Erk caught a walking Guy suddenly pause and blush, and then walk again.

The march went on and on, the sun was high and tiring. The terrain of Bern was most treacherous, rocky and steep. Merlinus gave a loud swear when the wagon nearly toppled over from running into a sharp rock. Weren't Bartre and Dorcas around to quickly set things to right, they would have spent precious time picking up all their weapons and supplies.

Erk watched everything that was going on around him for a while, but he couldn't help but groan when his thoughts wandered back to the young tactician. _I know she has no reason to, but I really wish she at least told me where she was going..._

-----------

We've approached the Tactician Guild's underground lair entry with so much noise that I swore that if Anko were inside, she probably thought we were intruders and would be readying her weapons before she went to the door. The entry to the Guild hasn't changed at all—stone steps descending into the soil towards an old wood door, bound steel at the edges for security, so no one could just peek inside. It always seemed like we were hiding a deep secret.

"That's it?" Legault asked, in a whisper. I just nodded.

The two thieves looked curiously at the well-hidden Guild, as if thinking some great treasure was inside for anyone to bother to build a place underground. Heath kept looking around though, as if lost. I asked him what it was and he just smiled. "If that's where we're staying, I've gotta find someplace for Hyperion."

I pointed him to the direction of a small cave I knew, not far from the Guild, and he left. I slowly descended down the steps to the Guild door, bracing myself, crossing my fingers all the while.

Oh, Sir Alecto... please be safe.

------

"K-Kumiko?!"

Anko looked surprised, and I wondered what was there to be surprised about. She called for us, she should be expecting us. So there was no reason to be surprised. I didn't think I looked ridiculous, either. Maybe it's because she expected an intruder, as I thought earlier.

She stood there, hair a bit thicker, skin a bit darker, in her deep blue ruche top. I crossed my fingers tighter. She didn't look any different. Maybe she was just kidding us after all, the note just a hoax.

"A-Anko..." I spoke, voice already breaking. She just smiled warmly at me. No, that was odd. Anko never smiles that way. But, oh... everything's going to be fine. I have no reason to be nervous.

The genuine smile became more sarcastic when the door opened all the way, and she probably saw who was behind me.

"Anko!" Legault greeted, hands in the air as he walked towards her, as if her were going to hug her in greeting. She just continued the malicious smile, and actually accepted Legault's tight embrace. "How are you?" Legault asked in a suspicious sing-song tone, still holding her tight.

"I'm fine," she replied in same tone, and I raised a brow at how close Legault held her and how she let it be (and how he ruined my supposedly moment with Anko). Thieves always have motives. "I'm fine--where's my money?!" And with a flick of fingers she was holding a silver dagger to Legault's side.

"I knew you'd do that," he said, and poked the small of her back with the point of his own knife. When did he draw it?! I didn't even see...

"Ooh, this is no time for games!" I said as I broke the two off from starting a fight. "I got some time off from my campaign because of the note you sent. Anko, seriously... how's father?"

"Ah, that," she said, and then she looked off into the distance, with a small, faint smile. She wouldn't look at me at all. "He's gone."

"W-What do you mean he's gone?! Where did he go?!" I asked, panicked. She can't mean that... can she?

I knew that smile on Anko's lips. The same smile I saw Matthew put on when Leila died. "He's gone somewhere very far, where we won't reach him anymore."

I refused to believe her. Absolutely refused.

--------

"...You're lying." I told Anko, refusing to believe her, wishing she were lying truly. She just shrugged and sighed, and for an instant I took everything in—the Guild, my home, seemed like something cut from a dream I refused to believe in. Legault was there a distance from Anko, staring at her, as if trying to figure out if she were lying or not. I could feel Matt was behind me, see his shadow on the floor. The Guild door was still wide open, cold forest breeze passing through it, chilling me to the bone.

She didn't answer. I couldn't take her silence at all—I just wished she would tell me that it was a lie, a grand lie, that if I ran into Sir Alecto's study I would still see him there on his desk. So I ran. I ran through the Guild, through its narrowing walkways that led to our rooms, and ultimately to Sir Alecto's study. He wasn't there. I ran to his room. He wasn't there.

Mark was there, sitting on a bench across Sir Alecto's bed, back against the cold wall. He looked tired, he looked years older because of that. He lift his head to look up to me, and smiled wearily.

"Where is he?" I demanded.

He threw a look at Sir Alecto's bed, and I just realized that there was a figure underneath the covers. I stepped closer to the bed, and gently lift the covers aside.

And he was there, alright. A cold, dead body.

----

I cried and cried when I saw it, his body, and I couldn't even come near it, couldn't even accept it. He wasn't dead. A part of me still refused to believe that, though he was still, not breathing, as white as Ephidel's skin or Leila's when she was dead on Valor. As white as Regrada's snow.

"...That's not him," I whispered, though the figure looked so much like my beloved mentor, that brown hair, that face that looked like him but was not him. If it were him, his lips would be curled up in the slightest of smiles, as if he knows something you don't. So it wasn't him. The bland expression on that face was something I would never see on my mentor.

I backed away from the bed, shaking, until I felt my back against someone. It was Anko. She put her hands on my shoulders, as if steadying me, as if expecting me to fall over.

"It was the Mine Plague," I heard her say, as I shook under her hands. "From Wiechenhof. I swear, I told him not to go there... But he wouldn't listen. And I let him go. I shouldn't have let him go."

I kept crying and shaking, half the time staring at the body on the bed, half the time looking away from it. I closed my eyes and reopened them time and again, expecting to wake up from a dream, but I didn't.

-------------

I smelled stew, and I looked up to see Mark handing a wooden bowl of it to me. I was seated on the bench across Sir Alecto's bed, tired from all the crying—and still my eyes didn't stop producing tears. They still ran down my cheeks, silently.

...So he really is gone.

I took the food from Mark, and he sat beside me, Anko on his other side. She ate off her bowl, looking distant at one time, but quickly looking alert again, as if snapped from a dream.

I took a sip of the stew—one with a good amount of beef, potatoes, and cabbages. He always liked it this way. The taste of it reminded me of someone else as well. "Xarin's here?" She was the only one in the Guild who bothers to cook.

"Yeah, since last week," said Anko. "She got here first. I think she's entertaining your friends. Mark came just yesterday. Father passed yesterday evening."

...I didn't even get to say goodbye.

"The others aren't here yet," I said.

Anko shrugged. "They're awfully far and engaged in various things. Knarrd says they'll probably be here tomorrow, though. When they get here, we have things to talk about."

We ate in silence again, and my thoughts wandered off. I wondered if there was anything I could have done to save him. I was far away, I could have arrived sooner, but if I have, what could I have done? He caught a plague—and not just any plague, but a most infamous one, from the mining region of Bern. They say you get it from the air of the deep mines, or from anyone who's been there. God, almost every male in Wiechenhof was a miner. Anko told me that she heard King Desmond even cut a lot of castle employees in fear of catching the disease. Courtiers and noblemen refused to get new jewelry or metal items, too, in fear that the disease actually clings to the metals.

It was incurable. That's what they said. Even if I got here earlier, I wouldn't have been able to do anything. All that I could have done was to help him when he was sick, and I wasn't even there. I remembered what Lord Hector said—there's nothing you can do to help but be there. And I wasn't even there! I was too late.

I set my food aside and started crying again, until Mark took me in his arms and embraced me. I cried more. I can't be sure, as I didn't look up to him, but I think I found tears dropping from his face as well.

------------

I retired to my small room, seeing it finally after what seemed like ages. Nothing changed, aside from a layer of dust on everything. I lit my table lamp and settled onto my bed, tired.

I heard Heath was helping Xarin clear up in the kitchen and dining hall, very kind of him. I heard Legault took Anko out for a drink—it may not seem like it, but that's very kind of him as well. I took it he was helping her get things off her chest. It's a good thing he came, after all. None of us would be able to get Anko to talk about what she really felt, or deal with a drunk version of her either. Mark stayed there, in Sir Alecto's room, as if in a vigil. He told me to get some sleep, but I had the feeling he was going to stay there and not get any.

A knock on my room door came. "It's Matthew."

I snuggled deeper into my covers and wiped my face to make sure there were no streaks of tears. "Come in, Matt."

The door creaked open and the blonde thief let himself in, making a slight face at my small room which smelled like dust all over. But he wiped the expression off as quickly as he made it, and looked at me, concerned.

"You need anything?" he asked. "You need to talk?"

It was so sweet of him to be concerned. He sat on my desk chair, wiping it clear of dust before he did so. The light from my lamp flickered, deep orange illumination bringing out the colors of Matt's hair, making the sandy brown seem gold.

I dropped my chin to my raised knees, and held in my tears. "...Will you cry for me, like I cried for you back then? I'm tired of crying, Matt, but I can't stop it..."

He gave a small laugh. "Unlike you, I'm not in the habit of blaming myself for things that aren't that directly related to me. So I don't know if I can cry. And I would look totally ridiculous if I cried."

I managed a small laugh at the thought of Matt crying like a child. But then my smile was gone again. I tried to force it on, but Matt told me against it. "You can cry if you want to, you know. I won't tell you to smile. I won't tell you that it's alright. If you can't smile, then don't. If you're not alright, then don't tell me you are. Say it when you mean it. Don't make up lies, thinking they'll make you feel better. They'll hurt more, you know."

"...Then..." I began, slowly, wondering if I should even ask my question or not. "...Why did you smile, when she died?"

He looked contemplative, and I wished that I didn't ask, but he answered anyway. "Because when she died, I think I've just about lost all my senses. Laughing and crying and smiling and frowning become nothing, things with no difference to each other at all, things that don't matter. Because that's all I'm left with now. Nothing."

He successfully diverted my distress over my loss by reminding me of his loss. I was the concerned one this time. "You're not left with nothing. No one is ever left with nothing." He had me, us, everyone. He's not with nothing.

He smiled—that hurting smile. "I still think of it, you know. How she died. Who killed her. How she could have blundered. Every time I kill someone from Black Fang, I wonder if it's him who killed her. I look at their blades, looking for the one that would match her wound. But I haven't found him. I know I haven't found him yet."

The fire from my lamp made Matt's eyes seem gold, and I was eerily reminded of the mad Ephidel's own gold eyes. I didn't know much of Ephidel, but then and there Matt reminded me of him. Ephidel was just like that—smiling and taunting but working as if he had one ulterior motive in mind that was his and his alone, hidden behind his gold eyes. A motive as deep as revenge.

"Be careful, Matt," I whispered, to myself. "You might end up in flames."

-------

It was a long evening. I couldn't sleep after all. Matt stayed for a while in my room and then left me so that I could rest, but I couldn't at all. I thought, long before this happened, that when someone dear to you dies, you remember every moment you had with them and end up crying and crying. But Matt had a point, in a way. Sometimes it leaves you blank, feeling nothing, stripped of every possible emotion. As if there's just a hole in your heart.

I couldn't stand for feeling empty at all. I got up and found Mark still sitting there in our mentor's room, still looking deep in thought. I approached him and sat with him, and asked him what was the matter.

He draped his arm around me and kissed the top of my head, and for a second the action reminded me of Sir Alecto. He told me he was alright, but I wouldn't believe him. So he finally gave in.

"Sir Alecto told me something..."

I looked up to Mark, curious. He continued. "He said that I will most likely be the next him. He told me to stay away from the mistakes he made long and far ago. He told me to look over all of it for him—the Guild, us members, our reputation. He told me, in front of Anko, that I was going to lead us in the future."

I was puzzled. "But Anko's his daughter! She didn't have any complaints?"

"She seemed surprised, but she didn't complain. When father died, I told her that I really didn't have to lead, but she just told me not to disobey a dead man's wishes. I... I still can't understand it. Why me? And why lead? Ever since we've learned to do our work by ourselves, we settled for that. What does he want me to do with the Guild? He's never trained me for anything!"

I took in all his words, and told him, "It's because you're the best among us."

He was taken aback, and the face he made was of shock and denial. "You're the best among us," I repeated. "You've got the will of a tactician, like we all have, but you are logical enough to know when to step back. You aren't like me, who could get carried away on emotion. You're friendly enough, unlike Jenro or Xarin. You're honest enough, unlike Anko or Nerisa who will lie and scheme and use underhanded means here and there to get to her goals quicker. You're... I don't know, mature. A right blend of things. And incredibly humble. If there's anyone fit for the job, it's you."

-----------------

I left Mark to think about things, and was pretty near to sleepy myself. But, father... he left his words to Mark. He told him what he wanted Mark to do. But what about me? What am I supposed to do?

I found Heath still in the mess hall, putting on his armor. I asked him why; it was too dark outside to be going out, and considering the terrain—forest with treacherous, rocky land—it wasn't safe at all. The village would have to be by the next mountain, the castle town farther.

"Legault asked me to check on him and your friend after I'm through here. In case they get in trouble, he says."

Right. Two drunk thieves in one of Bern's taverns... they could do anything. Heath, being in a wyvern knight armor, would practically be invaluable in case the two do get into something. Almost everyone makes some exception for someone from Bern's wyvern knights. Forget the fact that Heath's a former-knight and just currently a fugitive—he still has the armor. And he still has the wyvern.

He left, and when he did I found Matt and Xarin by the receiving room. They were sitting on the old brown couch, at one end and the other, not looking at each other, as if they were lovers in the middle of a fight. Or it was usual them who weren't fond of each other.

I was about to walk in when I figured they were talking, and I didn't want to disturb them at all. If I had known what their conversation would bring about in the end, though, I would have walked in. I should have disturbed them. But I didn't.

"What do you know," I heard her say, just when I was about to leave.

"Of course. My father's still alive. What do I know about losing a father, then? But I know all about losing someone you love."

There is was again. And for some reason, I stayed my place, and listened in. I shouldn't have.

"At least he didn't die because of my field of work," Xarin said.

If I were the one talking to Matt, I would say sorry and all that for reminding him of his loss, but Xarin was a different sort of person. She let the issue stay as what it is (Sir Alecto) rather than swerving it into something else (Leila). I recalled my earlier talk with Matt and how I quickly got absorbed into his issue, temporarily forgetting mine. I really do care for him that much.

Matt looked thoughtful, and he said, as if to the air, "...At least he didn't die because of your field of work..."

Xarin was suddenly startled. "I-I didn't mean anything by saying that. I wasn't comparing. I hope it doesn't--"

"Leila died because of our work. I know that. At least, your mentor died peacefully. He's looking over you from somewhere safe now. But Leila... she can't find peace yet. Not until..."

Xarin backed away, as if she knew what was coming next. Matthew shook his head, and assured her, "I won't press you to tell anymore."

"If you're going to live for revenge, dig a grave for two."

"For her killer, and for Nergal," he said.

"For them and for yourself," she snapped.

He didn't like where the conversation was leading at all, and he was looking at Xarin in an aggressive way again. She returned the look. Oh, darn. Just when you think they could get along, this happens...

Then, Xarin sighed. "Maybe..." she said, "...Maybe you just really have to learn. Matthew, come closer."

He gave her a raise of brow and a teasing smile, and inched awfully close to Xarin that I couldn't help but raise my own brows. He put his arms around her waist and drew her in, and put his face close to hers when he said, "I always knew you had _that_ kind of interest in me."

I knew it was Matt being Matt and teasing Xarin—I think he sort of wanted to see her break and show some form of emotion. Or maybe he wanted to make her laugh, to help forget about our mentor's death. But I can't help but want to scream for him to get his hands off Xarin, but not for Xarin's sake.

"Whatever," she said, as she just stared gravely into his eyes. "You won't be making jokes after you hear this."

The moment she leaned towards him and spoke into his ears was the start of everything again.

It was all without prelude, as if without reason, and she just said it, she just said it. She knew I was there. Xarin had always been the keen one—she threw me a glance before she opened her lips to say it, to whisper it to him, loud enough for me to hear.

_Leila's killer is Black Fang's Angel of Death: Jaffar._

----

My mentor is dead, and a life I just saved earlier was the life that took Matt's love away.

I don't understand the tricks the gods are playing on me at all.

I ran to the kitchen the moment I read it on her lips—Jaffar, that half-dead, bleeding body that I pleaded Erk to heal earlier had been Leila's killer. I didn't know at all back then! I didn't know! I should have... I shouldn't have helped him. If he died, Matt wouldn't have anyone to chase. He wouldn't have to get his revenge if I tell him that Jaffar was already dead. But he was alive! And alive thanks to me.

And then Xarin just passed by me and turned to her pot of stew, as if she were going to get some more to eat. She knew I was there, she knew I heard everything earlier. I called her name and she turned to me, putting down her bowl on the table.

"What is it, Kumi?"

And I let all hell break loose.

"Why did you tell him?!" I pushed her by the shoulder, and she was surprised. She knew this was coming—she shouldn't be. "You told him! What are you going to gain by telling him!"

She didn't look affected at all, but she didn't deny what I said. "As I said, he has to learn his lesson, and it's not my fault if he wants to learn the hard way."

"He could just forget it! He would forget it, but you just went there and told him without preamble—"

I was shaking her so badly (I didn't know how I did that, she was a whole lot taller than me) that she got annoyed and pushed me off. I looked up at her sharply—the way she pushed me hurt. "Fine," she said. "So I told him. What's wrong with that? You don't understand where I'm coming from at all, do you? Nor do you understand him. You haven't loved like that, like he loved that woman. He won't get an ounce of rest unless he thinks she's at peace."

"But what will revenge do?! It'll be pointless! He's going to waste his time—and that's not what Leila would want, I think!"

"You're right," Xarin said. "It is pointless. Revenge. And it's not at all what she would want."

"Then why did you tell him! Why don't you just comfort him, rather than provoke him into some madness--"

She rolled her eyes, as if I were missing her point and making her talk in circles. "He's the type who wants to learn the hard way. Have you ever been in-love, Kumi?"

What? L-Love? "Well, I love everyone in this Guild, and Sir Alecto, and my friends..."

"God's sake, just say 'no'. No. You haven't loved like that. And while we you know how it means to lose family, you don't know what it means to lose a lover. To lose a reason for waking up in the morning and breathing. So no, you don't understand him. You don't understand why he wants revenge. He feels empty, and he knows he has to fill that in—even if it means murder. And that man is stubborn. Even if I didn't tell him, he'll still find out who her killer was. He's a spy just as I am—he's got connections, he's got information. He'll figure out who it is. And when he kills her murderer, only then will he realize that it was worth nothing, that it was pointless, that it doesn't help fill in the void at all. If I tell him who her killer is I do it so he can realize his stupidity sooner."

I was surprised, speechless. Xarin was right. Matt may have to learn the hard way—he really was that kind of person. He loved Leila so much that he really feels he has to do this, and... Oh. Oh... But I... Jaffar...

"He's your friend, right?" Xarin asked, and I'm sure she knew my answer. Of course, Matt was my friend, that was why I cared so much. Of course, I liked Matt. A lot. "So watch him," Xarin told me, "and see that he realizes the point. Let him do what he wants, but make sure he learns off it. When he starts to realize what he's doing is stupid, be there and tell him that it is."

Watch him? Let him kill Jaffar? "B-But... I can't..."

Xarin looked puzzled. "I can't!" I just told her. "I... I saved Jaffar. I can't let him end a life I just saved. He was dying, and I secretly let a healer see him, even though I knew he was an enemy. I didn't know he was Leila's killer! I didn't know..."

Xarin blinked, maybe in disbelief, but she didn't bother to look sympathetic. Then she asked, "But if you knew Jaffar killed Leila, would you have saved him? Or would you let him die?"

The question startled me. I would have let him die. I would have left him to a little girl who didn't know what she was doing. Then, I would be no different from Matt, who was seeking revenge. Then, I wouldn't be innocent at all, a life staining my hands forever.

"But you've always been an odd one," Xarin said. "We're not taught to let enemies live."

She was right. It was tactics, it was war, we never cut the enemies any slack. I looked up and stared at Xarin and just asked, "Why did you tell Matt?"

"I thought we've got that question covered."

I wanted the answer to be put simply. "No, why did you tell Matt? Because you wanted to see him in that stupid chase for revenge, or because you care for him?"

"Because he has to learn. He's my superior in Ostia. I wouldn't let a man like that be of higher standing, and potentially lead me one day."

"What?"

"There was talk of further improving the Spy Network and getting a head for it. His name came up. Gods forbid him to be Master of Spies if he can't get past something this small. What I did is eventually for our sake, if it goes right."

"If it goes right," I repeated. _If _it goes right. Other things could happen in Matt's search for revenge—maybe he won't learn. Maybe he'll be stuck in that void forever. Maybe...

"You're there," Xarin said, breaking my thoughts. "You'll make sure he learns, won't you?"

I narrowed my eyes, realizing she started something and was possibly dumping the responsibility on me. And she and Ostia were going to be the one benefitting in the long run. The only thing that I was going to get was the certainty that a friend got better.

I tried not to satisfy her by giving her the answer she wanted, which was an all out yes. "Maybe," I told her. And I implied, "So you do care for him."

"Hell no."

"You care for him," I insisted. "So when he's out of my sight, you watch over him for me, just as I watch over him for you."

---------------

It was already dark, and Eliwood called to set up camp. The Bern terrain was hard on them, though—the rocky ground and thick forests wouldn't give them a comfortable clearing to sleep on. It was also unbelievably cold, so practically a brigade has been sent to retrieve firewood. Dorcas, Bartre, Sain, and Kent went.

"So how d'you use this thing?" Sain asked as he held one of Dorcas' spare axes in his hand, a pile of branches below his feet. Dorcas and Bartre had brought just down a tree with their axes, and Sain was wondering if he could help any at all, but he wasn't an axe user, and a sword couldn't exactly chop up firewood.

"It's a straightforward weapon," Dorcas said, and then raised his axe to chop a block of wood into smaller pieces on a tree stump. Bartre was doing the same, and Kent was holding onto a lantern for their light.

"Yeah, you just go on and chop things up!" Bartre said. "No fancy things needed. Just chop 'em up!"

Sain looked interested. "Ooh. Straightforward. That's how I like it."

"You're not the least bit like that, Sain," Kent remarked. "You always talk around in circles."

"Nah, that's you! I always tell a girl straightforward if she's pretty, and you—you! Can't even tell Fio---"

Kent almost intentionally waved the burning lantern nearer to Sain's face, making the other cavalier back away and shut up.

"But seriously, it does seem interesting," Sain said after a while, lifting the iron axe—which was lightweight enough—in his hands. "Imagine if we could use an axe, too, Kent. Like those Pherean knights—Marcus, and that pretty dame Isadora. We can't possibly lose to them, no? We've got to show that the knights of Caelin's got some of those, too."

"This isn't about competition, Sain..." said Kent, "...but you've got a point. We should learn."

Sain's face lit up. "Maybe Dorcas and Bartre here would teach us!"

The two axemen suddenly paused from chopping up wood to look at the cavaliers, as if surprised. Bartre scratched his head, and said, "Well, you ride horses, right? I don't know if we know anything about fighting with an axe while on a moving horse."

Sain groaned. "Gah, you're right... But if I can do it on my feet, I'll be bound to do it on a horse. I've got to learn. Right, Kent? C'mon, you've got to be in this, too."

"Well, it's not a bad idea..." said Kent.

Sain grinned, and Dorcas just said, "Well, if you want to learn, the best thing to do is get yourself to work and help out chopping the firewood, now."

----------------

When the wood had been delivered to the campfire, it was already dark, so a fire had to be started soon. Eliwood and Hector, with a few others, were sitting around the supposedly campfire, waiting for Wil who ran to find Erk or Pent to get the fire started. Kent's lantern had just ran off of light, so that was not an option.

"I'm freezing!" Serra yelled to the air. "Elimine, where in the world is Erk?!"

Hector, unable to take things anymore, got up and started doing all he could to start the fire—which wasn't much. Eliwood tried to pitch in and help, too, but he couldn't do much. Serra continued to complain loudly, and Priscilla tried to shush her by sharing her cloak with her, but that wasn't much help. Ninian and Nils were huddled together as well, beside Lucius. They couldn't be of any help either. Anyone who looked like they could start a fire wasn't around.

"I swear, I should have listened to Oswin a bit more when he was teaching me... Bah!" Hector almost kicked over the pile of wood in his annoyance, but he decided against it. It felt like an hour and Wil hasn't returned, or anyone who could start a fire, for the matter. They were all away gathering water or supplies or looking for food.

Eliwood was a bit more calm, but he couldn't start the fire, either. "I bet Lyn could have this started in a snap. She must know something of this, growing up in the plains."

"Speaking of," Hector said, when he saw Lyn arriving in the dark distance, followed by someone else. When they drew closer he found that it was that archer, Rath.

Lyn looked confused about the pitch black. The moon was the only thing offering them light."Eliwood? Hector? I can barely see you. Why has no one started the fire yet?"

"There's no one who can, that's why," Nils said. Ninian tried to shush him, but it was too late.

"Hector?" Lyn turned to said lord, raising her brow. "You can't start a fire? I expected more than that from you."

"Bah, it's not my fault if I can't and if there's no one around who can!" Hector said. "And what about you? Where have you been?"

"Hunting," Lyn said, holding up a pair or two of rabbits. "Well, I may have gotten distracted, asking Rath to teach me with the bow, but it's not my fault you can't start a fire!"

Hector shot a critical look at the nomad, and Rath appeared to return it. Lyn just shrugged and said, "Well, I'll just get to it. Leave it to—"

"I'll do it," Rath cut in, and started on the fire before Lyn could disagree, if she would. In a few moments a fire was up, and everyone huddled around couldn't help but beam with joy, except for Hector, who scowled a little.

"Why can't you be like that?" Lyn told Hector, teasing, as she watched Rath fix the fire a bit more. "A prince of Ostia can't start a fire?"

"Bah. I'll learn," Hector told her. "Watch me. I'll learn. And I'll be better than that."

------------------

My father was dead and I just saved Matt's—

No, wait. I was supposed to be thinking deep thoughts again, when commotion from the next room couldn't help but make me want to get up and check on the boys' room. I always did that, back in the days it seemed, when I wouldn't get any sleep because in the next bedroom, Miguel and Mark would be in a big argument, Jenro and Knarrd trying to stop them. I pushed my covers aside and got up, and barged in the next room.

It wasn't Miguel and Mark I caught, though, but Legault and Matt. I just remembered that they took over the boys' room since only Mark was home, and Mark wasn't even in the room. He was still there, with our mentor, keeping watch. Matt and Legault were in their beds, and in the background Heath was taking off his shirt. Then, they were home. Anko must be in her room now, too.

They stared at me, and Heath stopped midway with his shirt. "You were being noisy," I said.

"...Oh," said Matt, as if he just realized it. When I looked at him everything came rushing to me. Xarin's statements, Jaffar's life that I saved—I tried to drive it out of my mind. He didn't know it. Matt didn't know of any of it. If he found out I spared Jaffar, what would he—

"Gods, that woman, Anko, she drinks more than a man does," Legault said, cutting my thoughts. He was lying flat on his bed, still fully dressed, looking up the ceiling, long hair tumbling down the edges of the bed. "I treat her out and what does she do? Bleed my purse dry."

"Did she tell you anything important?" I asked.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, and nothing that's not just between us two."

"They hooked up!" Matt suddenly said, and I made a shocked face. Legault threw a pillow towards the other thief, but Matt evaded it.

I turned to Heath, who had decided to keep his shirt on, and who I expected to give a straighter answer than any of the two thieves. "They just got in some sort of trouble, but it wasn't anything major."

"Yeah, it was nothing a handsome guy in a wyvern knight armor couldn't get us out of," Legault said. I was standing by the doorway, but when I bothered to notice, Legault smelled like drinks.

I just turned to Heath. "I owe you, Heath. Thanks for keeping Anko out of trouble." Heath just shrugged, as if telling me that it was no problem.

I almost turned around to leave, but Legault suddenly spoke. "What about you, Kumi? Are you okay? Have you cried enough?"

I turned back and shook my head, but it was because I didn't know. I was lost—so many things have happened. My mentor is dead and I just saved—oh, and I had to lead a campaign where the world's fate was at stake.

"There are so many things going on, Legault, and I just feel lost in all of them. I don't know what to feel anymore."

I had to toughen up—because there are bigger things ahead—but I've got to cry, because I've got to let my feelings out. I didn't know which or what to do anymore. The gods must—ah, maybe this is because I haven't given that offering I swore I would. But I knew I couldn't blame anyone, either. I've been warned. The Archsage warned me—_much is to come_, he said. Can you do it, he asked. And I said that I would do my best... but I don't know what to do or feel or think anymore.

I realized that Legault and Matt and Heath had been staring at me gravely, so I must have been silent for long. I opened my mouth to say something, as if to offer some explanation, but forgot about it midway.

"That's not good," Legault said. "Not good at all. The worst thing a person could feel is _nothing_."

"But I don't want to feel anything anymore," I told him, my eyes turning glossy again for some reason. "I don't want to..."

I wished I could run away, and not have to worry or care about anything anymore.

---

I woke up the next morning to a persistent nudging. To my surprise, it was Nerisa, looking like she hadn't had any sleep. She was so pale, which was unusual. She was usually sunny and smiling. She rubbed her eyes, as if tired, and just told me, "Get up. We're going to the Academy. Father's burial."

I wordlessly got up, but something beside me stirred. I blushed as I realized that it had been Matt. And it all came back to me—I was still in the boys' room. I had cried and cried last night like a little girl that Legault and Matt practically leapt at me and carried me to their beds and told me to shush. I must have fallen asleep.

"I thought you'd be too young to sleep with men. I guess I thought wrong."

I blushed at Nerisa's remark, and then turned to her, sitting on Mark's wooden desk, and told her indignantly, "You've got the wrong idea. They're like, my brothers."

She was smirking like she knew better, but she was definitely exhausted to the bone as well. There were dark bags underneath her eyes—I had an inkling she just arrived all the way from Ilia. "Kidding aside, he's rather good-looking." I turned to the direction she was looking and figured she was talking about Matt. "Sandy brown hair and all. It makes him seem noble born—at least to us Bernese."

I just realized that she was right—the color of Matt's hair was almost identical to mine, so with the right clothing he would instantly seem like a noble to a Bernese. But his slight tan and strong, almost sculpted arms would go against that. "He's Lycian," I told Nerisa.

Legault shuffled in his bed and pulled a pillow over his head. When he does that, I know that he's awake.

"Oh, alright," Nerisa said. And then she wiggled a finger towards Heath—who was sleeping without his shirt. "I think I'll claim that guy, though. Do you think he'll like it if he suddenly wakes up and I'm right beside him?"

He'll probably be scared and shocked to the death. "I don't think so," I told her.

She just smiled in a way that was supposed to be clever, but she was far too tired to make it look that way. She flipped her pale blonde hair over her shoulders and got up from Mark's table. "We'll wait around for a while. Get ready to leave. It won't be a public affair, so you really don't have to bother to dress up much."

When she left, I yawned and rubbed my eye with a hand—and then I felt a hand hold onto my wrist. I jerked, but found that it was only Matt. He was still lying there on the bed but he looked completely awake—he must have been awake before me, maybe the moment Nerisa opened the door. He was that sharp. He was possibly going to be Ostia's Master of Spies, so he had to be.

"Are you going?" he asked. His voice was slightly coarse, but a bit soft—the kind you get when you've just woken up in the morning. I blushed again.

Before I could answer, Legault made a muffled sound, and then pulled out the pillow over his head and said, "Blondie, don't talk like that. You sound like a disappointed lover who doesn't want to let go."

I must have blushed deeper, because Legault was quite spot on. But Matt let go of my wrist and rolled his eyes and sat up on the bed and laughed, and the two of them just watched me make my way out of the room and into my own. I dressed quickly and found that everyone in the Guild was there in the dining hall—Xarin was serving last night's stew, Jenro was sleeping with his face on the dining table, Knarrd and Anko and Nerisa were sipping soup quietly, and I spotted Miguel on the long bench by the wall, catching up on sleep. Mark wasn't around.

"Where's Mark?" I asked, as Xarin wordlessly handed me some food. She then went to Miguel and proceeded to kick him lightly on his side. He was still wearing light armor.

"Over at the Academy, fixing things," Nerisa answered my question. "He went on early. Has to talk with the keeper and all those people."

"We're burying Father in the Academy? How did that become possible? And is that what he would like?" I asked Anko.

She didn't bother look up to me—maybe she was hell tired as well. "It won't be a public matter, so it's fine. Besides, he's taught in the Military Academy for quite a while, so it's a good enough place to lay him to rest. And one of the Academy custodians came to offer the place. I don't know how news of his death leaked out so fast, but... we just had to take it up." And then she groaned out loud as she sniffed. "Oh, God, I need a bath. I smell like I slept in a tankard of ale."

"I've noticed that since last night," Xarin told Anko, as she continued kicking Miguel who wasn't budging any. "I'm gonna draw some water after this fool wakes up."

"Draw some for me, too, Xarin," Nerisa said. "It would help me wake up. Then we can go to the Academy before Mark starts wondering where we are."

I didn't know if I was going to be glad that my mentor was going to be buried in a place that won't just be forgotten or a little distressed that he was going to be buried in the Academy where I failed and wouldn't be named a proper tactician just because I was a girl.

------------

True enough, it wasn't a public matter. The only other people who were there were the custodian that offered the place and an Elimine priest who said the final blessings. He was buried in the Academy gardens, marked by a stone plaque with his name and an honorific declaring him to be "one of the best tacticians of Bern".

No one really cried. I've ran out of tears, and Anko was just looking grave, not teary. Nerisa and Miguel and Knarrd and Jenro were too tired to even cry. I found that I was just feeling empty, and I just realized that that must be what it really feels to lose someone you love. Even at home, that morning, we all talked like we normally did, but for some reason it all felt empty. We all knew why. Because Father wasn't there anymore.

--------------

"We're climbing that... that... monstrous--?!"

Serra was unable to finish the statement, only because she seemed like she was going to faint. She only gave voice to what everyone else thought, though—almost everyone behind her had their mouths agape at before the steep mountain that had something called Bern Keep on top of it.

"Gah, I can't believe they built a palace in these mountains," Hector said. "This is going to be a painful walkathon..."

"Bern is the only country on the continent where wyverns still fly," said Eliwood, as he noticed the wyvern knights in the distant skies, probably doing their patrols. "I imagine this castle is the best-defended anywhere."

"More defended than Ostia, that's for sure," Hector said. Ostia was famed for being the most well guarded castle in Lycia—some even go so far as to call it impregnable—but that was on land. Ordinary land, not a steep mountain.

"Look at the path leading up the mountain's face. It would be impossible to scale that in a direct assault." Lyn said.

"...Defenders positioned higher up would have a clear advantage. Even the best soldiers would be taken out with ease," Hector said. "Now, how are we going to get up there? It's enough disadvantage that we don't know the terrain..." For a second, Hector regretted letting Kumiko leave with Heath. But he did that not knowing that Legault, who he confirmed be Bernese, was going to disappear.

"The mighty Bern... I'd not like it as an enemy," Eliwood said.

"And yet, from this impregnable fortress, a treasure was stolen," Lyn pointed out. "Perhaps the king really is responsible for all this. It's hard to imagine any thief cracking Bern's defenses."

"But I can't imagine why the king would do this," Eliwood said. "To find the Fire Emblem, we're going to need clues."

Lyn's face almost instantly lit up. "Why don't we try sneaking into the castle?"

Eliwood looked surprised, but Hector was suddenly grinning. "That's what I was waiting for!" Hector said. "I like the way you think, Lyndis."

Eliwood was about to say something, but was interrupted by someone clearing his throat. The three lords turned around to find Oswin, looking grave.

"Forgive me, I overheard," Oswin said. "But what you are about to do is very dangerous, my lords. And I must remind you, Lord Hector, that you vowed not to get in trouble while the tactician is away."

"Gah!" Hector yelped as he recalled that he did let go of that promise to Kumiko. "And you absolutely cannot get caught," Oswin added. "Bern would misinterpret it and see it as a reason to invade Lycia. And moving without any professionals in the field to assist you..."

Hector groaned again. "Alright, it's my fault that I sent Matthew away. But Oswin, I... I can't stand here doing absolutely nothing!"

Oswin looked contemplative, and then he nodded. "In a way, you're right, my lord. The longer we stay here, the higher the chances the patrollers notice us. We cannot all tread to the Keep. Very well, we'll try to keep hidden in the forests as you and Lord Eliwood and Lady Lyndis go to the Keep. But if you aren't back soon..."

"Whatever happens, we must not be caught," Eliwood told his two companions. "If it looks impossible, we immediately turn around and come back here."

Lyn and Hector nodded, left a few more words and instructions to Oswin, and started treading up the mountain to Bern Keep.

* * *

I walked around the Academy before we left, if only because I wanted some time to think. It was quiet since it was too early, so it really helped.

The Academy hasn't changed a bit. Every stairway was still lined with bookcases, every inner wall decorated with paintings or framed maps. I walked to an old balcony by the third floor, where I used to stand and look at the view of Bern Keep and wyvern riders in the skies.

I didn't do particularly well in the Academy. I kept getting laughed at for being a girl, with all those other boys thinking that I was lost and that I should be at home learning how to sew and embroider. I was Genevieve Regrada, always a miscast. Everyone knew of my lineage, and I'm not one bit proud of it. It's so much better to live simply.

I leaned on the balcony railing, and I found that Heath did, too. He was staring at the patrolling wyvern knights in the air. He followed me all the while in the Academy, while the others were still in the gardens. We've left Matt and Legault to watch over the Guild. I smiled when I realized that what a pair we must make, Heath and me, a fugitive from Bern's wyvern knights and an illegitimate noble who runs from the fact. Heath didn't know anything about my blood, though, and I think it's better that way. Despite being a fugitive, he always gets clammed up when faced with nobles.

But Heath suddenly stirred when he saw something. "That's..."

I stirred as well, as if snapped from a dream. "That's...?" I looked out the view to figure what he meant, but I couldn't.

"They've found something," Heath said, pointing at the wyvern riders in the skies. "They're going about the patrol route and formations wrongly. That must mean they've found something odd on land."

"What?"

"There's suspicious activity on land. Possibly invaders or spies."

I shrugged. "That's not our problem."

Heath looked taken aback, but then he just sighed and said, "I hope you're right. I just thought it would be about time the rest of the group got to the Keep..."

"Darn it," I muttered when I realized what he meant. He was right. There was an off chance that it was our group not noticing that parking at the foot of the Keep mountain was not a good idea. "I swear, Lord Hector, you told me you won't get in any trouble..."

"It can be anyone," Heath tried to assure me.

I wasn't taking any chances. Lately the gods have been pitting one thing after another towards me, and so the chances of the irregular activity on land being us can't be overlooked. I watched the wyvern riders in the air and asked, "Heath, judging from how the patrollers are acting, what do you think they've seen?"

"Well, based on their actions, whatever's around the forests seems to be a large group—"

"Darn it, that's us," I said. "I'm not taking any chances." I'm not letting anyone die on me anymore. "Let's get out of here. We're fetching Matt and Legault and checking out what the heck is wrong out there."

---------------

How Hector and Eliwood and Lyn got beyond the walls of Bern Keep could only be called a miracle. It involved Hector climbing over a wall in all his armor, and Lyn and Eliwood having to knock out a guard who almost caught them. And when they reached what was beyond the castle walls, they found an inner garden.

"I know all about having gardens outside the castle walls, but, this--!" Lyn said, as they walked around the greenery, with religiously trimmed grass and beautiful flowers overhanging from walls and columns.

"Well, this is Bern Keep," Eliwood said. "The castles in Lycia would only compare to the region castles here. Only Etruria's castle can be grander than this."

But Hector suddenly gripped them by their wrists, and hissed, as if to shush them. And then they heard footsteps—light and but not entirely quiet—and instantly Hector dragged the three of them into a thicket conveniently placed by the wall.

The footsteps came and came and revealed themselves to belong to a little boy with blonde, almost blinding hair, in the sunlight. He was dressed well—he must be a prince of high standing, Lyn thought. Behind him was another man—tall and bulky and covered in armor—almost like Hector, but so much bigger and seemed so much more intimidating. Despite that, one of his hands was open before him, as if he were holding something. His other hand seemed to be stroking the unseen item resting on his palm.

The young boy talked to the man as they stood there, as if waiting. "Does he strike you as anyone? Who do you think is that lad?" Hector asked Eliwood.

Before an answer to that came, there was a little girl scream in the air, and footsteps again, this time running. A little girl with the same blonde hair, in a red dress, came running towards the boy. "Brother!" she yelled, holding her hands out as if asking for a hug. "Hello, Zephiel!"

"Zephiel? Isn't that—" Lyn said, but Hector shushed her with a slight nudge.

Zephiel picked up his little sister and gave her a hug. Then he settled her on the grass again, and told her, "Ah, Guinevere. Have you been well?"

"Uh-huh! I've been fine," Guinevere said with a nod. "But if you would come and see me every day, I'd be even better! Much, much better!"

"Every day? Well, that's an awful lot, but I'll come by as often as possible. All for you, dear sister."

Guinevere laughed and screamed and jumped around in joy, which made her brother laugh as well. Lyn found herself smiling at the sight, but then another voice and another set of footsteps came—this time they were heavy steps accompanied by the shuffling of grass under a heavy cape. A slightly tanned man with brown-blonde hair came, in thick, regal robes. The circlet crown on his head gave away who he was.

"Guinevere!" he called out as he walked. But he made a sudden halt when he saw Zephiel, as if he were the last person he wanted to see. The prince tried to give him a smile, but the man just pulled his gaze away, as if disgusted. The prince's smile faltered.

"Here I am, Father!" Guinevere was still joyful, turning around in the sun to face her father. "Welcome home."

The king smiled, and crouched down the grass and held an arm out, as if asking his daughter to come. "Ah, there you are. Were you a good girl while I was gone? Come, give your father a kiss. You're as adorable as ever."

Guinevere ran to him and kissed him, and he smiled for her and patted her hair joyfully. And then the prince took a step forward and decided to make himself seen. "Well met, Father," he said with a slight frown.

The king got up, the folds of his robes and cape falling back to place as he did so. "...Zephiel," he said, with a barely concealed scowl. "You take the same unpleasant tone as your mother."

The prince was taken aback, maybe unaware of his earlier tone. "What? I... I... I didn't mean—"

"Silence." The king said. Zephiel jerked in fear—the one word was said with complete authority, sounding like it came from a king and nothing else. Even Eliwood and Hector and Lyn couldn't help but shudder. "What brings you to my castle?" The king asked Zephiel, pointedly.

Zephiel blinked a few times and sighed and regained his composure. "Ah, yes... Murdock." He turned around to the armored man behind him, who stepped forward and handed the object in his hands to the prince. "We were hunting the forest earlier," said Zephiel, "...We found this and thought Guinevere might like it."

When the princess heard her name, she immediately ran to her brother and jumped around again as she found what Zephiel was holding out to her. "A baby fox!? How cute! It's so very cute!! Is it for me?" she asked. When Zephiel nodded, she let out a little girl shriek again and took the fox kit from her brother's hands.

Zephiel was smiling again. "Do you like it?" he asked Guinevere.

"Yes, I do! Thank you. I do love you, Brother! I love you!"

Guinevere danced around and patted the fox in her tiny hands, but the king was clearly irate. He let out a heavy sigh and said, "...Guinevere, go play for a while."

When Guinevere disappeared, the king told the prince, in a low tone, as if a threat, "...I've told you to stay away from the castle."

"Yes... I know..." Zephiel sounded apologetic. "I beg your pardon. I heard that Guinevere was ill and I was... worried."

"Hah, you mean you came to see if she would die, don't you?"

The prince visibly flinched. "Father..."

Murdock spoke up, and said, "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty, that is—"

"Hold your tongue, Murdock!" yelled the king. "Do not forget whom you serve! The king of Bern!!"

Murdock was startled, but he fell silent, and backed away.

"It's all right, Murdock..." Zephiel assured the man. And then he turned to the king again. "Father, I would never want to see Guinevere harmed in—"

"You and your mother think of nothing more than stealing my throne. You plague me. Return to the manse!"

The prince was stunned to silence, visibly disappointed. "...As you wish," he just said, as he offered a small bow. "I beg your leave... Father."

When Zephiel and Murdock walked away, Lyn couldn't help but whisper, "What kind of man is that king?! How can he treat his own son like—"

"Shh!" Hector hissed. "Someone's coming!"

And true enough, the king turned around to see a woman—black haired and red lipped with golden eyes—walking towards him in slow, calculated steps that made her long skirt sway suggestively, exposing flawless fair legs. She stopped before him and offered a thin smile. "It is I, Sonia," she said.

"Sonia!" Eliwood gasped. Isadora had told her of the name. Hector nudged Eliwood and reminded him to shush.

"You...?" The king asked—and then looked around, as if to see if anyone was listening in. And then he said, "Well? Is the Emblem safe?"

Eliwood and Lyn and Hector all gave little gasps at the question, but they stayed silent. "Yes," Sonia said. "I have it in my possession. It is all as we planned."

"It is unlikely, but... The queen might attempt to win the Emblem back. Are you prepared?

"I will not fail... It is secreted away within the Black Fang's fortress."

The king nodded, and said, "Keep it concealed until dusk of the tenth day, then return it to me."

"As you will, Your Grace," said Sonia, as she gave a small bow in acceptance of orders.

"And what of my other request...?" King Desmond asked.

Sonia smiled certainly. "One of the Four Fangs will tend to it. There will be no mistakes. However, General Murdock, the man protecting the prince... He is young, yet well respected. Shall we finish him, too?"

The king looked contemplative, and then he shook his head. "I'll think of something to remove him from Zephiel's side. Will that do?"

"Yes. It would be a great help."

"Gods damn!" Hector suddenly said, still in a whisper. "He's even going to have his son assassinated?! What in blazes--?!"

"Shh!!" Lyn and Eliwood hissed at him in chorus.

Sonia was caught in mid-sentence when she suddenly turned around to survey the area, as if looking for something. Lyn and Eliwood and Hector tensed—could she have...? "What? What is it?" the king asked.

"I... sense someone."

"Where!?"

But almost as if to save Hector and Lyn and Eliwood, Guinevere's voice called out, "Father! Brother! Where are you?!"

Sonia still looked critical, until the king told her, "Do not worry. It's my daughter."

That seemed to make Sonia ease, and nod and smile again. "Of course. Do not forget the Black Fang's role once we are successful."

"Of course," the king said. "Now be gone. Quickly."

She was gone as quickly as she came. Guinevere then rushed in from the opposite direction, fox kit still in her hands. "Zephiel! This kit, it..." she suddenly stopped when she noticed that Zephiel wasn't around. "Hm? Where is my brother?"

"He had an errand to perform and left," the king said.

"Oh, no!" said Guinevere. "No, no, no! I wanted to play!"

The king sighed, and offered, "Come, Guinevere. I will play with you."

"No!" she said. "I want to play with him, not you! I'll go and call him back. Here, hold my fox!" she dumped the fox into the king's hands, and ran away.

When she was well away, the king gave a loud groan, and called a servant to take the fox kit and kill it and make sure Guinevere never finds out.

* * *

"That was close... I was afraid they'd catch us," Hector said when they were well out of the inner garden and outside the walls of the castle. They were in the forests surrounding the castle gate, where no guard could be seen anywhere.

"This is worse than I'd imagined. The Black Fang has already reached the king," said Eliwood.

"Their plans for Lycia failed, and now they're targeting Bern," Lyn pointed out.

Hector shook his head sadly as he said, "If a country as powerful as Bern moves, peace knows no hope." It was not an assumption, but a cold statement of fact.

"What Nergal desires is powerful quintessence," Eliwood said. "Calling dragons back... Does he wish to embroil the world in chaos? Whatever his plans, he must be stopped at any cost!"

Hector nodded. "Right. Find the Fire Emblem and return it to the queen. We do that, and she'll point us toward the Shrine of Seals."

"If we go the Black Fang fortress..."Lyn began.

"That's our goal," said Eliwood. "We must meet with everyone and then seek out their fortress."

* * *

Raven watched the skies with eyes narrowed, as if there was something wrong. The sun was gaining height, and the wyvern riders passing by in the air would usually cast shadows from the sun, but that was not happening any at all. The wyvern riders were gone.

Oswin had ordered them to scatter as to not be seen as suspicious by the patrollers—and as a result, they were divided into at least three groups—and the other groups were separated from them by rocky terrain and probably a mountain. He remembered Sain and a few others in the cavalier's company set off while talking like a bunch of long time separated friends, and knowing the cavalier, he would probably keep on riding as he talked without a care for where he was already. He could have passed two mountains by now.

"So they're gone, eh, Senior Rave?" Raven turned to find that Wil was beside him, looking up at the skies as well. "That's good news, huh?"

"Why would that be good news?" Raven asked back. "That's spells nothing but bad. And stop calling me Senior Rave." The last thing Raven needed was the wrong person hearing Wil call him that, like Serra or Sain, and then everyone else would end up calling him "Senior Rave".

"What's bad about that? Maybe it's lunch break already, that's why they're gone."

"No," he said, almost certainly. "They've found us, that's why they're gone. Get your weapons ready."

------------

"I wonder if Eliwood and the others are well," Ninian said, in something short of a sigh, as she sat on a rock by the foot of Bern Keep's mountain.

"Please, Ninian," Nils said, as he looked on ahead at Oswin and Marcus looking at a map of some sort and Pent showing Louise a small flower, among others. "That's all you've spoken of since they left. I understand your concern for Lord Eliwood, but..."

Ninian blushed, knowing where her brother was getting at. "Nils! I..."

Nils turned to her, looking a bit grave, looking as if he was the one older than her. "You don't have to hide anything from me. But you must not fall in love with him, you know? We... are different from them."

"...I know. But I cannot... .....I..."

Ninian fell silent, sighed, and then got up and started walking towards the forests.

"Ninian! Where are you going?" Nils called out.

"I need time to think," she told him. "May I be alone, please?" But she didn't wait for his answer. She just walked away.

-------------------

Well, it was quite a surprise that when we got home, Heath and I caught Legault wearing an apron while holding a chicken-feather duster in his hand and his bandana tied over his mouth and Matt beating the couch mattress senseless, sending the dust and various things stuck inside our couch into the air. He reached deep into the mattress corners and came out with a feather quill. So that was where Jenro misplaced it.

Heath came out laughing before I did. "What in the world are you doing?! And dressed like that—?!" he pointed at Legault. He looked like a bandit who decided to put on an apron and forgot to bring his dagger and instead came out with a feather duster.

Legault pulled up his bandana to his hair again. "You came back too soon. We just thought we'd help clean up your place, Kumi. You're a bunch of lazy people. There's dust everywhere!"

"I'm sorry," I said, holding in my laughter. "It's just—haha—we're all away from home, so we can't always clean up, and gods know Anko can't be bothered with a cleaning rag."

"Only one person moves in this Guild," Matt said, perhaps an observation. He didn't have to say who, I knew. Only Xarin bothered to move. She can't stand it when she sees that no one's moving—maybe she's like that in Ostia, too. Matt then waved the feather quill in his hand. "Is this yours?"

"Jenro's," I said, and then turned to see Legault dusting the table. Heath and I ended up laughing again. "God, Legault, I didn't know you were so domesticated, you would make such a good wife!" I said.

"Hey!" Legault said, leaving the duster behind. "Is that supposed to be an insult to me as a male?"

Matt unearthed a small record book in the sofa, flipped it open and pretended to write with the quill. "Former Fang Legault feels insulted," he said, as if narrating. "His fault for putting on random apron and carrying a feather duster—"

"And suggestive remarks," chipped in Heath. He looked like he was about to cry from laughter. "Don't forget the suggestive remarks."

"Suggestive remarks?!" I nearly screamed.

"Oh, you're too young to know!" Matt said, joining in on the laughter now. "You don't know the things he says when he's drunk and half-asleep..."

"Well, at least I've accomplished something!" Legault suddenly said, indignantly. We all turned to him, giggling and chuckling. "What do you mean you've accomplished something?!" I asked.

He just smiled and said, "I've made us laugh. It's been a long time since we laughed for no reason at all."

And we suddenly stilled—I realized he was right. I was constantly under pressure of war and I've lost my mentor, and Matt was still thinking of revenge and Heath was still distant and aloof and feeling odd to be back in Bern. I smiled back at Legault. "Really, I can't believe you've thought of that..."

"Kumiko!"Heath suddenly yelled. I jerked up and turned to him. "We have to go!"

Huh?! Oh! Oh! We did have to go! "I totally forgot! Agh! Anyway, Matt, Legault, we have to go and survey the area. The patrollers seemed to have sensed something odd here on land by the castle—and we can't risk it being Lord Hector and Eliwood and all. We have to check it out!"

-----------------

"So you have noticed it," Anko told Mark, who was sitting on a garden bench, looking up at the skies. A few feet from them their mentor lay underneath the soil, marked by a stone pedestal that had a book of his accomplishments and ventures as a tactician—something the Military Academy had for him. Anko couldn't even bear to read it as it was rigged with inaccuracies, and details of his wife and daughter had been obviously ripped out and covered up. Jenro and Miguel, though, were reading it and having some contest of who can point out more inaccuracies.

"They've broken formation earlier and betrayed the routes." It was Xarin this time, taking a seat beside Mark. "Something's going on at land."

"Kumiko left," was all that Mark said.

"Must be her group," Anko said. "Do we get involved?"

Xarin shrugged, got up, and walked away. Anko called her, "Where are you going?"

"I swear..." Xarin muttered, and then shrugged again. "Helping out. A prince of Ostia could be out there, and I can't just let him die." And she ran off.

"When she puts it that way, what choice do we have left?" Anko said. "A member of the Guild is out there, and we can't just let her die. I wouldn't have a face to show my father."

-----------------

"Ninian?! Ninian! Where are you?!" Nils called as he walked around uncertainly in the forests, looking for any sign of Ninian. She asked to be alone but she's been away for too long... "Ninian! It's me!"

"Nils! Nils!" voices called in the background, but he didn't pay them much mind. He knew they weren't Ninian—they were probably people Oswin sent to look for him, or he was starting to hear things. Hopefully it wasn't the latter.

"Ninian!" he called again, but was startled when a wyvern suddenly came in view from the skies, gliding towards him. He stepped away, closing his eyes from the gust of wind and dirt, and opened them to find a wyvern with its rider hovering before him. "Who... who are you?" he asked, completely puzzled. With his skills, he should have sensed it at the least, but he didn't.

The rider, oddly, was a woman, but she just gave Nils an intimidating stare as she ran her fingers through her short blonde hair. She grinned maliciously as she studied him, making him shudder. "Light green hair, crimson eyes... No mistake," she said. "You're one of Lord Nergal's lost toys. Yes! Found you at last!"

"...What are you? Why can't I sense you?"

"What happened to your bodyguards?" she asked. "I heard they were tough. I wanted to see for myself. Well, you're here, so they can't be too far away, can they?"

Nils backed away, mind set to run, aware that the rider was going to use him as bait to get the others. But before he could make a step, the wyvern was suddenly in front of him, the rider's lance lunging towards him and hooking him by the neckline of his shirt, placing his feet above the ground. Nils screamed and resisted and kicked his dangling feet in the air.

"That's right!" The wyvern rider said, "Scream! Call your friends to you! I grow weary of waiting. I am not known for my patience!!!"

And just in time, Lyn and Eliwood and Hector emerged from the trees, Lyn coming out first. "I'm the one you're looking for!" Lyn said. "Unhand the boy!"

The female rider looked alternately at the three lords, and smiled when she seemed to have recognized them. "You've come! I've been looking forward to this!"

"Looking forward... What do you mean?" Eliwood asked, because the woman seemed to have a grudge against them by the way she spoke.

She answered, "Looking forward to the chance to crush you! Then hand the children over to Lord Nergal."

"Nergal? So you're one of his dogs, are you?" Hector asked.

"...I'll not be called a dog by you, blackheart! True, we've a contract with the Black Fang, but... I am loyal to one master only! He who sits on the throne of Bern!"

Eliwood asked, "Then why are you in the employ of the Black—"

"There's been far too much talking," the woman cut in, "Let's get started, shall we?" And she raised Nils higher in the air by her lance, and the boy screamed again in fear.

"Put him down!" Lyn and Hector yelled in chorus.

And another voice cut in. "Elfire!"

The wyvern rider was surprised to find a hurl of flame towards him, and she quickly maneuvered her wyvern away from the attack, dropping Nils in the soft grass. She almost made a move for Nils again, but an arrow made her back off.

"Tch," she said, glaring at her attackers who had just arrived—Lord Pent and Louise, who apparently had been sent by Oswin to find Nils. "Don't think it's over," the rider said, as she flew away. "Playtime is just beginning!"

------------------

I practically strained my eyes looking at everyone from below, figuring out who was hidden where and all that. But all I've spotted are enemies—if the many unaffiliated-with-us soldiers and mages and archers I've seen are enemies, and if they were, that wasn't good. But then again, no one has shot us down yet. They must think Heath's still part of Bern's wyvern knights or something.

"Isn't that..." I heard Heath whisper, and I turned to where he was looking—by the thick forests by the foot of the Keep, a wyvern rider had just sprung out of the trees.

"Where? What's that?" Matt asked, looking around below, while Legault (still wearing the apron) had his hangover returning to him and he was trying his best to keep his breakfast in him.

"It is!" Heath suddenly said, and he jerked, and Hyperion jerked and flew forward so suddenly that I jerked and held onto Heath and Matt held onto me and Legault held onto Matt.

"Heath! What's wrong?!" I asked when I realized that we were flying forward with incredible speed, towards the rider I just saw emerge from the forest. "What is it? Who is it?"

"She's alive!" Heath said. I wonder if he heard me.

"Hey, wyvern rider!" Matt shook me hard, shaking Heath who I was holding onto along with me. "I see Lord Hector's unmistakable form on land! Get us down there, now!"

Hyperion stopped, but Heath looked on at the wyvern rider who was ahead. "Heath!" I shook him.

He snapped to his senses, said, "Okay," and in a few seconds we were at land, landing right before Lord Hector.

--------------

"Kumiko?" Lord Hector looked puzzled. I expected panicked and desperate, but, puzzled? He was carrying Nils on his back, and the back of the neckline of Nil's shirt was ripped, as if someone just pierced something through it. So they definitely have gotten in trouble.

"What do you mean, '_Kumiko?_'!" I yelled. "You told me you'll try your best to stay out of trouble, and yet..."

He just shrugged. "Well, we're not in trouble _yet_." He said. "And what about you? How's your mentor?"

I sighed, and looked around and found Lyn and Eliwood and Lord Pent and Lady Louise giving me concerned looks. "Let's not talk about that now, Lord Hector," Matt said, for me.

Lord Hector shifted Nils' weight, and gave a knowing nod. I think he knew the underlying message of Matt's statement, aside from "we're-currently-in-a-bind-let's-catch-up-later".

"Kumiko, we need help," Lord Eliwood said. "They've found us. Our allies are hidden here and there to avoid being spotted. This is not to our advantage."

"We have to regroup, quickly," I said. "But we're all scattered, and where could we...?"

"Past the mountain, by the cave we used for Hyperion," Heath suggested. "That sounds accessible, and the two mountains around it can serve to defend us and prevent the soldiers from attacking us on many fronts."

It always pays to have someone who knows the terrain. "That sounds good. Let's start by going there—"

"You go on ahead," Lord Hector cut in. "Go with the wyvern knight. You have to find the others and tell them what to do. We'll get there by land." Then he turned to Matt. "You've familiarized yourself with the area?"

"Yeah, I guess I can safely get you there," Matt said. "I've observed the terrain from the skies... a bit," he added uncertainly.

"Don't underestimate these forests," Legault said. And then he turned to the others, and told Lord Hector, "I'll stay with you, too. I kind of know this area a good amount."

"Why?" I asked.

"Eh, why do I know this area, or why am I not coming with you?" Legault asked me. He didn't give me a chance to clarify what I meant since he answered both anyways. "Firstly, I'm from Bern, like you are, and there is no way I am getting back on that wyvern. My head hurts."

Hyperion gave a soft grunt of protest, as if saying he didn't do anything. Lord Eliwood said, "Alright. But we have to catch up later. We've already had a run-in with the enemy, it's just about time that they reinforced themselves."

"Right." I jumped back onto Hyperion, giving a glance and a small nod to Lord Pent and Lady Louise, who I noticed was holding a good bow. So she could fight, too. I didn't have to worry about anything. Heath got on too, and Lord Hector and the others were about to move, but Nils suddenly spoke.

"Just one thing..." Nils said, almost weakly. But then he pointed at Legault. "Why are you wearing an apron?"

Almost everyone turned to the thief and blinked, as if they've just noticed it. The feather duster was still in the apron pocket, and Legault just smiled as if the reason was some ultimate top secret thing. "I'll tell you all about it later, boy," he told Nils. "For now, we've got to save ourselves."

Save ourselves, indeed.

--------

"Heath?"

"Yes?"

"I'm scared," I told him, putting my arms tighter around him. The wind was cold. Not what I wanted. "I've never been scared before, but I realize that death is just so real and one day, one of us could..."

He shrugged slightly. "We all die. I knew that, I'm a soldier. If you live by the sword or the lance or the axe... you die by it, so they say. But you know what? I'm scared, too."

"Why?"

"Because I think I know who we're fighting. And she's not an easy enemy..."

------------

Sending Florina to look for the others had ultimately been a wrong move on Rath's part. She came back down with her Pegasus having a wound, after being hounded by arrows the moment she was in the air. At least it was confirmed that there were a ton of enemy archers.

"Oh, what are we going to do?" Rebecca asked, but it sounded like whining. Or at least it sounded like that to Rath. Maybe because she was looking at him—and so was Dart, Lucius, Geitz and Dorcas and even Florina.

"Nothing," Rath said. "We stay here. That's all we can do. Wait for the enemies to come and attack us. Rebecca, man the ballistae."

"We wait like sitting ducks? That sucks," Dart said. "They might come and get us. Maybe we need to find the others as soon as possible."

"But wouldn't we get lost? These forests are thick and confusing..." Lucius pointed out.

"If the enemy catches us in this state, with just this number, they are so going to wipe us out," Geitz said.

"That's why we have to stay still and lay low. Stay on the defense," Dorcas said.

The thoughts and opinions and possible strategies were too conflicting. Rath sighed, and realized just why tacticians were needed in battle.

------------

"Sain, stop. I think this is just about enough."

Sain made an abrupt stop and turned to look back at Kent. "What, Kent? This isn't enough! Hardly enough! We haven't even seen the others yet."

"But we're not getting nearer to anywhere familiar..." Fiora said.

"Actually, I think we're lost!" Serra added, and she jumped up to bop Sain on the head with her staff. Sain flinched, and Serra continued. "You said you knew where we were going! Liar."

"I swear, sweet Serra, I know where we're going!" Sain declared. "I've been to a pub somewhere around here, like... uh... ten years ago."

Kent slapped his palm to his forehead and Isadora shook her head. "Oh, Sain," the female paladin just sighed, as if regretting ever tagging along with them.

"And now no sign of Sir Marcus or Lord Eliwood or anyone," Lowen said, as regretfully.

Sain just laughed uneasily, but Kent shushed him and then peered over the thick trees and bushes, stealthily. Everyone else followed him, trying to see what he was up to.

There was a village in the distance, but a bunch of other paladins and axemen lined just outside the village path, as if waiting for someone. "Could be enemies," Fiora said.

"Could be," Kent agreed. "Can we take them on?"

"If we can't take them on, no one can," Isadora said. "We've got a healer, a flier, and us knights..."

"See!" Sain suddenly burst out, much too loudly. "I knew there was a village around here somewhere!"

"Shh!" Everyone else hissed at him. Serra stepped on his foot for better effect. Before Sain could scream, Kent covered his mouth. "If there's one thing we don't want to happen, it's being loud, and Bern's wyvern riders hearing us and ganging up on us. Then there's no chance we could win."

-----------

"Lord Eliwood!" Marcus called out.

"Lord Hector!" Oswin yelled.

"Nils!" Ninian screamed.

"Uh... Priscilla?" Guy said, uncertainly wandering about, looking for anyone familiar as well. "Matthew? Lady Lyn?"

But no one could be seen. The four of them grouped back together, with the addition of Hawkeye who came and shook his head, saying, "I couldn't find any of them around."

The sun was constantly shadowed by the wyverns that were flying in the air. "Curses. They've turned a notch alert," Marcus said. "That must mean that they've found someone, somewhere. Maybe Lord Hector and Lady Lyn and Lord Eliwood."

"Oh, but Nils," Ninian said, near to tears. "Nils. I shouldn't have left him. He might be lost!"

"By luck, he would have been found by the others," Oswin said. "We'll do our best to find him, or hope the others have."

"And by our bad luck..." Guy suddenly said, looking at a far-off direction, at a wyvern rider, javelin ready, who seems to have spotted them. "...it seems that enemies found us, first!"

-----------

"We're at a great disadvantage, being scattered about. They'll take us down one by one with those wyvern riders," Erk told Raven.

"You suggest we take the offensive on those wyvern riders, then? If we do any form of attack, they'll find our location and that might just spell death," Raven pointed out.

Priscilla, beside Raven, nodded slightly. Canas, beside Erk, spoke up. "We get to thin out their numbers before they attack us. They'll find us one time or the other, mayhap it _is _better to take the offense."

"Where in the world is a tactician when you need one," Raven muttered under his breath, but was just reminded of the reason why Kumiko had to go. _Family_. _Right, family is important, _Raven thought.

"There's a wyvern rider coming towards us!" Wil, looking out from the ballistae, shouted, alarming everyone.

"Where?" Bartre looked up the skies, while Merlinus practically jumped out of the supplies wagon to yell and panic. "It's coming!" the merchant yelled as he pointed to the skies. "It's coming! It will kill us! Gods, do something! Wil, you dolt! Load the ballistae, save us!!!"

Merlinus' panic probably infected Wil, who immediately loaded a bolt into the ballistae, all jittery. He prepared to shoot, as the others kept staring at the skies.

"Wait a second," Erk spoke up as he stared at the wyvern rider, face looking grave when he realized something. "Wait!! Wil, hold it! Don't----!"

------------

"Heath..."

"Kumi?"

"...Is it me, or is that huge ballistae bolt headed towards us...?" 

Heath almost screamed when he saw it coming, but it was me who screamed when he suddenly pulled on Hyperion's reins, making the wyvern screech and kick in the air, sending me to a dangerous angle.

"Heath!" I yelled, as I slid off the wyvern's saddle, slipping down from there to its tail and into the air.

---------

"It's Kumi!" Priscilla gasped, when they realized who had been there in the air. "And Heath!"

"Wil, stupid! You shot Kumi!" Merlinus scolded.

"Hey, you were the one who told me to shoot!" Wil retaliated.

But then they saw the tactician fall off the wyvern, Hyperion and Heath seemingly unable to make a save. "Kumiko!" almost everyone chorused, but Erk was the first one to get to his feet and run.

-------------

"Run for it!!! Legault, this is your fault, I thought you said you knew where we were going, you led us right into the enemy's noses!!" Hector yelled as he ran down a steep slope, as carefully as he could, Lyn and Eliwood and Pent and Louise and Matthew and Legault trailing after him, a barrage of arrows and javelins being thrown and them from enemy archers and wyvern riders. Legault just laughed sheepishly at Hector's words. Nils was on Hector's back, screaming all the while, and the young bard yelped and ducked his head into Hector's neck and he put his hands around the lord's eyes when a javelin flew towards his direction.

"Goodness, I'm blind!" Hector yelled. Eliwood gave the other lord a shove to help him avoid the javelin, saving him. But it caused Hector to stumble on a rock, making him fall flat on his face and roll down the slope, armor clanking all the way. Eliwood made a save on Nils before the young boy could fall, but unfortunately Hector wasn't spared. Louise shot down the wyvern rider that was the cause of Hector's fate, earning a little praise from her husband Pent.

"Hector, are you okay?!" Lyn and Eliwood shouted in chorus, to Hector, at the base of the slope, who was getting up and rubbing his head. He scowled and shouted back, "I'm fine, darn it!"

Matthew laughed as he ran down, yelling, "That was a faster way to go about it, my lord! I'm glad you're unharmed!"

"Harmed? With that armor?" Legault remarked. "No way will he be harmed. Miracle his head got away with it, though. That must be one hard head he has, that Lord Hector."

They all carefully went down the steep slope as Hector rubbed his head and tried to recover. Eliwood, who was on the lead on the way down, turned an abrupt stop, though, all of a sudden, sending Lyn and everyone else behind him to an abrupt stop as well.

"Hector..." Eliwood started out, and then came out with a yell. "Hector, look out!!"

------------

She rolled her eyes and kept on a scowl as they all looked at her as if she just saved the world. All she did, in her opinion, was pull on the enemy swordsman that was about to stick Lord Hector and give him a flashy high kick and fling him to the ground and slice his throat. _That wasn't so hard._

"Gods, Xarin, with that brutish strength, I doubt that you're a woman," Hector said as the female spy helped him get onto his feet. "Thank the gods, I'm going to promote you when we get to Ostia."

"Just doing my job," she said, then looking up to meet Eliwood and Lyn and Pent and Louise and Matthew and Legault, looking surprised or puzzled about her.

But then she found Legault in that ridiculous get-up. "Why are you—"

"Oh, this?" Legault said, holding onto the apron he wore over his clothes. "Long story, sweetheart. Tell you later."

Xarin just looked puzzled, and then Eliwood asked her, "You are a spy of Ostia, right?"

Xarin nodded. "And Kumiko's friend. What are you doing in these parts of the mountains?"

Heads turned to Legault, who just laughed nervously.

Xarin rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'm Bernese, and I know these forests. Follow me."

------------

_Oh, goddess of war and tacticians, look at me, a tactician too, I'm too young to die, all of this is too soon, I have so many things to do, I have to live for the sake of everything my mentor taught me, I have to..._

"Oh, goodness, she's alive! Kumiko is alive!"

I opened my eyes and literally blinked, and saw faces before me—Priscilla and Wil and Merlinus and others.

Wil looked like he was about to cry. "Goodness!" he said. "I thought I killed you! I nearly killed you! I shot the ballistae bolt, I didn't know it was you and Heath, oh, Kumi, forgive me!"

Ballistae bolt? Heath? ...Oh, right. I fell. I fell of Hyperion and Heath and Hyperion weren't able to save me because they were busy evading the bolt. That was such a height from the ground, but... I'm safe. No bone hurting. An angel. I must have had an angel. Sir Alecto may be looking over me, the goddess of war or anyone else looking down at me. If Sain were here, he would say something about the goddess of luck and the luck statuette.

Eh, but my sort-of-holy thoughts were interrupted by a string of muttered curses and swears from underneath me. I moved my feet to get up but my feet hit something, and that was when he yelled. "Ah, darn it," he said. "I'm glad you're safe. Now get your feet off my face, please."

I yelped and got to my feet and found that I've been lying over Raven. I probably fell on him and he probably tried to catch me to break my fall. "Oh, Raven," I said, looking sorry as he got up and rubbed his back. Oh, this is the second time now. He's such a hero, forget how he's always scowling. He's such a softie at heart. I wished I had a brother like that.

"No use being dramatic about—" he almost said, but I just went over to him and hugged him. "You're my savior! My angel!" I told him. I could imagine him rolling his eyes at that, though.

Despite warning me against drama, he said nothing. And then he suddenly said, "Not my fault you tripped over running trying to make it."

I was puzzled, but I turned around to see that he was speaking towards the general direction of Erk and Canas. Erk rolled his eyes, and Canas just smiled sheepishly and told me, "Eh, Kumi, isn't it about time we got to business? What's the deal with these wyvern riders? So what's the plan?"

------------

"I'm getting sick of javelins!" Lyn yelled out loud, as they ran in the forest, wyvern rider javelins still trailing after them.

"Damn it, they got our trail, and this is the most covert path possible..." Xarin muttered, as she lead the others into the forest, running and jumping over logs and branches and rocks. "...Those wyvern riders see everything from the skies..."

"So, so, what's the strategy, sweetheart?" Legault asked, as he ran beside the female spy. Matthew was on her other side, Lyn and Eliwood and Louise and Pent and Nils right behind her, Hector lagging behind, unable to run and jump over obstacles easily in his armor.

"I suppose the best strategy is to hunt down the leader and get rid of him fast..." Xarin said.

"No!" Nils yelled from behind her. "Don't do that. She's... eerie. Their leader has got some eerie power. I couldn't sense her at all, I couldn't..."

"Sense?" Xarin asked, stopping and turning back to Nils, raising a puzzled brow.

"Ah," Eliwood said. "The boy's skill. He can sense things about others, about things to come..."

"Step back!" Nils suddenly yelled at Xarin.

Xarin, while surprised, did just what Nils said—a small step backward—and a second later, a javelin hit the same spot where she had just been standing on.

"...Well, that's what I meant," Eliwood said.

"Well then, I'll believe you," Xarin said. "If the leader's not an option, we're only left with staying on the defense and fighting it out from there. It's important we meet up with everyone else, first."

---------

"I can't believe you, Nerisa, I can't believe you!" a blue-haired Pegasus knight screamed, as she brushed the hair away from her face, trying hard to see the terrain below them. The skies were clear, but Bern's terrain was full of mountains and forests that she could hardly see anyone on ground.

"Relax, Farina, you'll straighten your curls out," Nerisa said, poking at Pegasus knight's said curls at the end of her short hair. "This will be a breeze. Oh, look out, there's an arrow coming from behind us."

"AHH!!" Farina yelled in panic, quickly maneuvering her pegasus to a sharp turn. The arrow flew past them, but Farina screamed, "Nerisa! This wasn't in the contract! You didn't tell me you'd be sending me to a rain of arrows and a horde of wyvern knights—with almost no sleep! The deal was to help you get to Bern and back to Ilia..."

"And do everything else in between! _Escort_ also means you've got to protect me from mean people."

"No fair! Elaboration of the contract means more pay!"

"I can easily give in to that, love," Nerisa said. "Anyway, I think I spot this little village over there embroiled in some conflict..."

* * *

"That's... isn't that...? Farina!" Fiora yelled, seeing a familiar figure approaching them.

"Fiora, watch it!" Kent yelled, when he caught a huge axeman about to hit the Pegasus knight with a hand-axe. He couldn't do anything, though, as he was still engaged by an enemy paladin...

Farina, though, was quick to see Fiora's situation, and was quick with her javelin, striking the axeman before he could attack Fiora. "Really!" Farina yelled over to Fiora, as she flew closer to her. "You're in battle, sis! Keep your guard up!"

"I just... I'm sorry... Just that I didn't mean to..." Fiora said, but then stopped when she saw Nerisa behind Farina. "Hey there," Nerisa greeted her with a smile and a wink.

"Nerisa! And you too, Farina... You're supposed to be in Ilia..."

"Well, Nerisa here gave me a job and---"

"Goodness' sake!" Nerisa suddenly yelled, cutting Farina's words. The tactician was looking down on the ground, where Kent and the others were engaged with the enemies. "No, no, no, no!" Nerisa yelled again, as Farina and Fiora looked at her curiously. "They're going about it wrongly. So wrongly! You two, get back on the ground and get me to that battlefield!"

* * *

"Oswin!" Hector exclaimed, much to his relief.

"Lord Hector!" Oswin yelled when he spotted them. "Lady Lyn, you're all..."

"Lord Eliwood!" Marcus yelled, riding towards said lord.

"Ah, Marcus! So good to see you," Eliwood said.

"Nils...?"

"Ninian! Ninian, you're safe!" Nils practically ran to his sister.

Ninian looked near to tears. "Oh, I should be the one telling you that! I'm sorry I ever left you! I won't do it again."

"Pent. Louise." Hawkeye approached his companions.

"Hawkeye. It does me good that you are safe," Lord Pent told the axe-user. Louise seconded the statement with a nod.

Guy just blinked, pulling the strip of cloth around his knuckles tighter. Blood from a wound underneath tinged the cloth with red. "Okay," he said, to the air. "I was stupid to wonder if anyone would look for me."

As if to read his thoughts, a yell came—actually it seemed like a chorus. "Guy~!"

Guy looked up, and was met by a fling of arms over his shoulders from two thieves. "M-Matt? Legault?"

Matthew blinked. "You don't sound happy to see us."

Guy knew that being caught between two thieves meant trouble. He wedged away from them and said, "No, I'm glad you're safe. It's just that I—" 

"Expected Priscilla!" Legault finished for the myrmidon.

Guy immediately turned red. "No I wasn't! I wasn't expecting her!"

---------------

"They've spotted us!" Xarin yelled, breaking the small reunion of the two groups. Wyvern riders came from the skies, looking down and snickering at them, as if pondering who to take out with their javelins first, like nobles before a banquet trying to decide what appetizer to take. Xarin took time to curse. The two groups have been a bit noisy and over-excited with reuniting, of course the wyvern riders would somehow overhear them.

"That's it," Lyn said, taking the spare iron bow hanging behind Lady Louise. "I don't like being looked down at." Lyn pulled out an arrow from Louise's quiver, aimed, and actually shot one of the wyverns on its belly.

Lyn blinked in surprise. Rath's time spent teaching her about the bow wasn't in vain. But the wyvern from above screamed mad, and its scream actually brought more wyvern riders on the alert, flying towards them as reinforcement. The light from the skies was practically blocked by a dozen wyvern riders.

"Uh-oh..." Guy whispered to himself.

Eliwood gripped his sword tighter, and said, "Marcus, get Nils and Ninian away from here, _now_."

"Yes, my lord," Marcus said, grabbing Ninian and Nils before they could protest (or at least only Ninian could protest) and put them on his horse.

When he rode away, a wyvern rider glided towards them, but Hawkeye blocked its path, and in a split second, took the rider and flung him to the ground and dealt with him. When the other wyvern riders saw this, hell broke loose.

"Matthew! Xarin!" Hector called out, sending the two spies on the alert. "Get out of here! Tell the others! You absolutely have to reach the others!"

Matthew almost protested. "But, my lord---"

"That is an order from a prince of Ostia! Get out and get us reinforcements, NOW!"

--------

I've left Raven's group with all the strategy and advice I could give them, and have loaded Hyperion's saddlebags with the items that the other groups might be needing. Heath and I still have to warn the others, still have to tell them where to meet—here, at Raven's area. The field was surrounded by two mountain ranges to the north and south, leaving land units impossible to pass through there, and limits the chances of being attacked on all sides, as Heath said. But when you're dealing with wyvern riders, mountains aren't really a great asset.

"We'll do fine," Erk assured me. "Don't worry. You absolutely have to go to the others and tell them what to do, right?"

"Right," I said.

But then Heath and Hyperion came from over the mountains, back from a small patrol. Enemies didn't think he was part of us, since he was a wyvern rider in wyvern knight armor, and thus they didn't hunt him down. "Bad news!" he said. "Enemy wyvern riders coming here!"

I literally gasped, and so did the others. Heath jumped off Hyperion and approached me. "I would have diverted them if I could," he said. "But sadly I can't."

I knew exactly why. _Because he knew them, and they knew him_. They knew he was a fugitive, an enemy of the country. "Doesn't matter," I said. "We have to get a plan together."

"No," Raven said. "You have to get out of here. Find the others. That's your role. Don't stray from it."

"But I'm a tactician!" I said. "I can't leave you when I know you're about to battle!"

"Kumiko!"

We all sharply turned around to the voice—it wasn't from any of us. But then I gasped when I recognized the voice and saw the form that came along with it, struggling through the thick trees in the forest. "Mark!" I called out.

Raven and Erk were on their toes, though. "Who are you?" Raven asked, blocking me from Mark.

Mark looked absolutely lost at the new faces who were blocking me from him. It was sort of ironic—Mark was the one who always, always protected me from others, before Raven or Erk or Matt even came. "Well, excuse me," Mark said, maybe offended.

"He's a friend," was all I told Raven as I pushed him aside. And then I turned to Mark. "Mark! What in the world are you doing here? How did you get here?"

"By luck," Mark answered, fixing the position of his glasses. "Miguel dropped me off somewhere in the middle of nowhere, and I just heard noises and followed it to here... Anyway, we'll talk later. I heard everything you've been talking about just now."

"Oh," was all I said.

"Go with the wyvern knight and find your other comrades," he said. I almost protested, but he smiled and said, "I'll stay here. I'll look over them for you. Trust me."

"But this is my—"

"You're a member of the Tactician Guild. And who's the leader of the Guild now?"

He didn't let me answer. "I am," he said, smiling. "Nerisa and Anko and the rest have moved out. We're going to help you through this. And moreover, a battle near our headquarters is something we can't just let be."

I smiled. He was Mark, he was the reliable one, and I could trust him. But I smiled mainly because he's out of the sad state I last saw him in. "You're starting to sound like a leader, Mark."

He shrugged. "I'm supposed to sound like one. And I knew I've thought about it a lot and didn't want it at first... but let me tell you, Kumi. It feels good."

------------

Mark's first step was to gather everyone and figure who they were. His first question was "Who's an archer?"

"I am," Wil said.

Only one archer against a flock of wyvern knights. But Mark didn't try to look disturbed. "Mages?" he asked next.

"I use magic," Canas said, "But I'm a shaman, to be exact."

"I'm a mage, and I use staves," Erk volunteered.

"Ah, a sage," Mark remarked. Erk looked like he was unfamiliar to being called that, so Mark explained, "We tacticians have a way of categorizing people. You're a sage, a higher mage."

"Oh," was all Erk said.

"Is the ballistae loaded?" Mark asked.

"Yes, but only four bolts now. Hardly enough to take on many wyvern knights..." Wil said.

"And is that yours?" Mark pointed to the supplies tent.

"Yes," Merlinus said, "Those are the supplies."

"Can you move them out of the way?"

"Unfortunately, that's going to take an awfully long time."

"I see," was all Mark said. He was silent for a while, but then he pointed to Bartre, "You, kindly bring down a tree."

"What?" Bartre was puzzled.

Mark pointed to Bartre's axe. "You use axes. Bring down a tree. We'll use it to cover the supplies. We can't risk being raided. After you do that, stand by the ballistae."

"But the area by the ballistae is a clearing," Priscilla said. "They'll see us if we stay around there."

"Exactly my point," Mark said. "And you..." Mark turned to Wil. "Get yourself on a tree. Somewhere where you can see the ballistae in plain view, but somewhere hard to spot at the same time. Mages, do the same thing."

"But I'm the only one who can man the ballistae," Wil said.

"I'll man it," Mark said.

"Do you know how to?" Wil asked.

Mark just smiled. "I don't. But that's exactly the point. I'll just lure them."

"That's risky," Raven said, almost in objection. But he followed with, "I'll stand by you, just in case. I'll deal with those wyvern riders when they get to land. We'll be the bait."

"Alright," Mark said. "And when they're lured and they come for us, you'll strike them," Mark told Wil and Erk and Canas. "It has to be quick. Get rid of the riders quick." And then to Wil only, "I hope that you're very precise with that bow. If we don't finish them quickly, _they'll_ finish _us_ off."

--------------

Matthew had gotten used to javelins and wyverns knights so he was fairly shocked when he and Xarin were faced by a group of foot soldiers, probably a dozen in number. "Uh-oh..." he said.

"What are we supposed to do?" Xarin asked.

"Why are _you_ asking _me_?" Matthew asked, in a small whisper. "You're the one from here. You know the terrain."

"You're my senior in service as a spy."

"You're the one—oh, fine," Matthew just grunted and gave up. "At the count of three, let's run and split up. That'll disorient them."

They did just that, sending the foot soldiers in slight confusion of what to do. But as he ran away, Matthew heard someone yell, "The girl runs faster!" For a split second Matthew wondered if that was true. If Xarin could outrun him, that's definitely a shame. But then another yell followed, much to Matthew's horror. "Send more men after her! We have to make sure neither of them run away!"

"Damn it," Matthew muttered, and ran faster.

-----------

"I hate to bring bad news, but... we're out of bolts!" Rebecca yelled.

"Then get yourself out of there and help out here!" Rath yelled back, as he shot down an enemy axeman. They had been unlucky to be hit by both land and air enemies. Wyvern riders kept coming, a band of enemy soldiers with axes and swords came. The swordsmen were the problem, as their group had axe-users for their main force. Lucius stood by Rebecca, using Light magic on enemy wyverns that hovered above them. Florina had taken to picking off the swordsmen that tried to run after Dart or Geitz or Dorcas. Dart was wrestling with an enemy axe-user two times bigger than him. Rebecca helped by sending an arrow through the enemy's head. Dorcas and Geitz were occupied with a wyvern, minus its rider, who were trying to claw them to death.

"Rath, what in the world do we do about this wyvern?!" Geitz yelled out, dodging a tail whip from the creature.

"Deal with the rider first! It's going to stop fighting once it realizes that its master is dead!"

"Thanks, Ra---" Geitz stopped when he realized that the voice that answered him wasn't Rath at all. Wasn't even male at all. And it wasn't Rebecca. He turned around to see a woman, slightly tanned and purple haired, dangling dangerously on a tree branch. She met his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, there he is." she said, as she jumped down the tree and went towards the bush, pulling out a man, a wyvern knight, hiding behind it. She killed him before he could protest, and threw the man back into the bush where he came from. The wyvern must have seen it, as the creature stopped fighting and instead settled down on the grass almost calmly, as if resting.

Dorcas tried to push on the wyvern, but it wouldn't move. "It won't budge."

The woman approached them, saying, "That's how wyverns are. It'll wait for a new master. Maybe—"

"Hold it," Rath said, pointing a bow towards the woman. "Who are you? Where are you from? How did you find us here?"

"...Maybe a guy named Heath would know what to do with this wyvern," she finished her earlier statement.

They looked surprised when she mentioned the name of one of their allies. "Who are—" Rath almost asked again.

"Anko," she answered, "Tactician and thief. Kumiko's friend. Recently my father just died, and I can't have these wyvern knights bringing battle near our home at the day of his burial."

"You're..." Rath began. Anko saw that he was still dubious, so she said, "Half Bernese, half Sacaean. Trust me. Sacaeans aren't supposed to be liars, right?"

_But Bern, unfortunately, is the breeding ground of liars, _Anko thought.

------------

Kent couldn't believe it a bit. The blonde tactician, supposedly called "Nerisa" and supposedly was a friend of Kumiko, worked just like Kumiko did. No, even better. No offense to Kumiko, Kent thought, but Nerisa is older, more efficient. Makes decisions faster. Sees everything, and made sure the village was safe as well. _The man that they call "father", their mentor, must be an even more formidable man._

"Geez, I'm starting to think that this isn't really worth all the trouble, even for money!" Farina said out loud, as they busied themselves with fixing the ruined fences of the village. The enemies have been entirely dealt with, and a strange woman from the village even gave them a rare staff, _much too rare_, Serra said.

Farina turned to Fiora, her sister. "Hey, sis. How much are they paying you here, anyways?"

Fiora was flustered, out of embarrassment. "N-Nothing, really. And I didn't really join to be paid..."

Kent decided to join in. "I'm sure Lord Eliwood or Hector would see that you are paid."

"Eliwood? Hector? Lycian lords?" Nerisa asked. Kent nodded. "Ostia? Pherae?" Nerisa asked further. Kent just nodded, surprised that she would know the names of the princes of little Lycian regions. But then again, she was a tactician.

"Goodness!" Nerisa exclaimed. "Ostia! Pherae!"

"What does that mean, Nerisa??" Farina asked.

"Ostia is Lycia's powerhouse region, and is very rich. Pherae is nearer to Bern, and a lot smaller, but is not to be underestimated either. You should expect to be paid a handsome sum, Fiora."

Fiora saw her sister's face lit up with a smile, a smile she gets when she has an idea of how to better make money. "Fiora, you're right," Farina suddenly said. "This cause you're fighting for is all noble and is just for the greater good of all. Maybe I should join. Nerisa, care to break my contract with you?"

"If you break it, you won't get any paid by me," Nerisa reminded.

"Aww, it doesn't matter. I want to be with my sisters. Right, Fiora? Introduce me to these Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood..."

* * *

The village we found by the southwest was unbelievably quiet, though there were traces of fighting here and there. And then I found Kent and Fiora and Sain and Serra and Isadora and Lowen with Nerisa and her Ilian Pegasus Knight escort, Farina. I couldn't even spot the enemies anywhere, though I found definite traces of fighting—blood, and ruined fences. The group was rebuilding the town's ruined fences.

I jumped off Hyperion and ran towards the group, Heath trailing behind me. "Nerisa!" I called. "The enemies..."

"Dealt with," she said. "Easy as pie."

I should expect that from Nerisa. "Alright. Then we've got to regroup with the others. We know where. Follow us."

------

"God, no..."

Her voice came so softly, almost coarse, almost disappointed, that Matthew was turned a notch alert, the worst possible scene coming to his mind. He could have been wrong. The enemy could have been too difficult. Maybe she couldn't handle it by herself after all.

"Xarin, what's..." He ran into her as soon as he was free of fighting, and was puzzled to find that she wasn't injured at all, the enemy down at her feet. Instead she was looking up, at a cliff above them, where Legault was fighting—more like running from--an enemy, evading sword strokes and then ultimately, disappearing into the trees.

She was still frozen, as if far too shocked. Matthew finally moved over to her and shook her, saying, "What is wrong with you?!"

She stirred, and told him a deadpanned, "Nothing."

And he knew that when women said "_nothing"_ like that, men were supposed to know that it meant "something". "Stop messing with me, please. Tell me what's wrong, now."

She backed away from him, pulling away from the grip of his hands on her arms. "Alright," she said, with a small grunt. "That person,"—she pointed to where she had last spotted Legault—"is wearing my apron, and he's got blood all over it. God, no. I just washed that."

The words seemed to wash over Matthew like a wave, as he fell sitting down on the ground, keeling over in relief. He chuckled, and said, "God, Xarin, you worried me. I thought someone got you."

She blinked. "Worried?"

"Yeah," he just said. "And that aside,"—he gave a mischievous laugh—"you, with an apron and a feather duster? Cooking, washing clothes, cleaning, acting like some barmaid or farmer's girl... I am so going to tell all the spies back at Ostia. You'd never hear the end of it! I wonder what you look like in a barmaid's dress..."

She flushed out of irritation, and because he hit a spot. She used to be a barmaid. "No, you will not tell anyone!" she said.

"Oh, yes I will!" he said, as he got up and ran away from her, like a little boy, knowing he was going to get it.

She groaned, said "Gods, whyever that man, Lord Uther?" and indignantly ran after the other spy.

-----------

We got back to Raven's base quickly, because Kent's group was made up of horsemen. I was amazed that when we got there, Rath and and Marcus and Ninian and Nils and the others where there, too. So was Anko.

There wasn't any sign of Lord Hector and Oswin and others that were said to be with them, though. I went to Mark and asked him if he sent anyone else to help.

He shook his head. "I told Jenro to stay behind in the Academy, and Miguel and Knarrd are at home, keeping guard..."

"They're in danger," I heard someone speak up, panting in between the words. We turned and found Legault, looking like he would fall over, dead tired from running. "Wyvern knights and more and more came. They sent me to tell you, damn it."

He took a breath and looked around, and suddenly looked surprised. "Matthew and that Ostian spy girl's not here yet?"

I blinked. "What? They're not with Lord Hector?"

"He sent them before he sent me. When they were taking too long, Lord Hector said..."

"They might be in trouble," Mark said.

"Xarin?" Anko spoke up. "Highly unlikely."

"There's only two of them," Mark said. "And maybe they've split up. They could get lost, they could be cornered... anything."

"We should search for them, too," I said. "Definitely."

-----

"God!" A sudden yell came, just after I sent Nerisa with the fliers and archers among others to reinforce Lord Hector's group. I was just about to come along with Heath when I heard that yell. And then Xarin and Matt came from the forests. Xarin was dragging along her bleeding left arm, blood trailing down to her hands.

It was Matt who was all jumpy and jerky, as if he were the one wounded. "Hey! We need a healer here!"

I ran to them, and Erk did, too. He was holding a heal staff, and he used it on Xarin. "Lord Hector's—"

I cut in before Xarin could finish. "I know. Legault came here."

"Ah. So that was why we spotted him," was all she said.

I watched Erk heal her wound, and I couldn't help but wonder how Xarin got it. She was pretty capable of herself. "Nets," Xarin told me. "They used nets. We thought we lost them for a moment, but then they tossed a net over me, like I'm some wyvern to be tamed. Curs. I hate them. I'd kill them all over again if I had to."

"Hmm... That's a pretty fitting description," Matt suddenly told her, tone teasing. "You do seem to me like a wyvern that needs to be tamed."

"Matthew, shut up."

I don't know if it was just me, but Erk kind of smiled, as if he liked the idea of Matt teasing his female colleague.

--------

Finally, after a long while, Lord Hector's group managed to meet with us at "Raven's base". When I went with Heath to reinforce their group, the first thing Lyn told me was an excited, "Kumi, I can use a bow!" and seeing her now, she was telling Rath the exact same thing. Learning a second weapon was all the rave now. Sain and Kent told me about learning to use axes, and Raven seems to have just learned to use an axe. At least for cutting down a tree, Mark confirmed to me.

Raven seems to particularly like Mark. He's not a man for showing kindness, but Raven told me, "This mentor of yours, what kind of man was he?"

"The kindest man," I've told Raven. "And the smartest. He is better than any of us, or all of us combined."

"And this Mark is supposed to replace him now?"

"I couldn't think of anyone more fitting. He's not the oldest among us, but we all know him as the reliable one. He never skips on any of his responsibilities, no matter if they're big or small."

"Ah. Well, he seemed pretty smart. And brave. He could have been a warrior. I imagine he would make a good brother, too."

I imagine Raven would, too, be a good brother.

-------------

"Look!" Rebecca pointed up to the skies. We've been chatting together as if in some reunion, too busy to pay attention to Rebecca, but we didn't really have to look up to figure what she meant. The sun hid behind shadows of wyvern riders, flying towards us. We thought we would have to fight, but all of a sudden the riders passed us, as if they didn't see us.

But they saw us. A few of them looked down at us. I heard a yell from above: "Withdraw! Ground forces, pull back! And move quickly!!" They were retreating.

---------------

"I guess that worked out." Lord Eliwood said.

"But what shall we do, Lord Eliwood?"Nils said. "Nergal's power...It's returning bit by bit."

"What do you mean?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"That woman we faced...She was protected by Nergal's magic." Nils said.

"Her strength...It came from Nergal?" Lord Hector asked.

"Yes," Ninian said. "It won't be long before he's active again. With all his power restored."

"We must hurry!" I said, to the lords.

Lord Eliwood nodded. "We have to recover the Fire Emblem. If we can do that..."

"Wait!" Lyn suddenly said. "I have an idea. I can follow them."

"Lyndis?" Lord Eliwood and Hector asked at the same time, puzzled. But I sort of knew what Lyn was up to.

"Leave it to me. I think I might be able to find the Black Fang fortress. Remember, I'm from Sacae. Bern's foot soldiers are slow and clumsy...And to a Sacaean, men are easier to track than rabbits."

---------------

Lyn went away with Legault to track the Bern foot soldiers. We stayed behind; we can't all follow them at once, there was the risk that they would sense that they were being followed. Lyn said she'll send a signal of some sort when it was safe for us to move.

I sat with Anko, Mark, Xarin, and Nerisa. The Tactician Guild minus three. Minus _four_, I mean. Our mentor was gone. Anko sighed, managed a smile, and said sarcastically, "Well, it was so great that that battle coincided with Father's burial."

"I'm sorry," I said. "And I'm sorry if I walked away from it. I had to."

Anko shrugged. "You did the right thing. Father would be proud. He was never much for caring for the dead, anyways. When someone's gone, she's gone, he used to tell me. And now he's gone, too."

We stayed sitting there, silent for a while. "What are you going to do now?" Anko asked, but she was looking at Xarin.

"Go back to Ostia," Xarin answered. Oh. For a second I thought that she would tag along with us again. Battles were getting harder. It wouldn't hurt if she came, but I wasn't about to deprive Lord Uther of one less capable man.

"He's sick," Xarin suddenly said. I couldn't understand what she meant. But then she looked up to me and said, "Lord Uther is sick. I would love to help you, Kumi, but one person less is a big deal. And don't tell Lord Hector about it. That is the order of the lord of Ostia. Lord Uther swears that he'll get well, anyways."

"Alright," was all I said.

"What about you?" Anko turned to Nerisa.

"Well, my escort has decided to join Kumi's crew," Nerisa said. I knew Farina had joined, I just saw Fiora introducing her to Lord Hector earlier. "But as for me, I have to go back to Ilia. I have a job waiting for me there."

It was time for us to part again. We were rarely together, but now we were going on different paths again. "Then we'll stay here," Mark said. "We'll be here, in Bern. I'll look forward to the day when we can all be together again and share a meal."

-------------------

"Kumi? How are things going?" I ran into Lord Hector as I was wandering about.

I shrugged, only because I couldn't figure what to say. Lord Hector had given me leave and had worried for me. I couldn't fathom giving him my answer, which was downright negative. My father died, and the fact that Nergal's getting his strength back as we speak wasn't making me feel any better. And then, Lord Uther was sick. I couldn't bear to tell it to Lord Hector, with the way things were. The weight of this war must burden him too, somehow. And Lord Uther will get better. That was what he said.

"Matthew told me. About your father." Lord Hector said. "I guess I'm supposed to say that I'm sorry, or tell you my condolences, but I won't."

I turned to him, puzzled. "I won't," he said. "I think I'd settle with saying 'thank you'."

"Why?" I asked.

It was his turn to shrug. "Thank you. Well, you were in a tough situation, but you mustered the guts to come out and help us when you sensed we were in trouble. I couldn't do that. Gods know how I cried like a child when my father died. How I yelled and screamed and wouldn't leave my room. You're brave, Kumiko, despite what you seem. You're brave."

"Bravery won't raise a man from the grave."

"Aye," he said. "But your bravery would make him proud."

I nodded, and then sat with the others as we waited for Lyn's signal.

**End of Chapter.**

**----------**

**Okay, on to... Author's Notes: (Incredibly long in proportion to the chapter again)**

Okay... Sorry for long update. I won't give any excuses. It really just takes two months or so to cough up a chapter as long as this. My apologies. My only redemption is that I hope the chapter satisfies you people.

Btw... **PREVIOUS CHAPTER CORRECTION**: I had described Linus as wielding a Light Brand. Screw me. I just realized that either Lloyd or Linus would wield a Light Brand only on the latter chapter on Valor. I was mistaken and thought that they'd have it at the previous chapter.

I just realized that the Hector only chapter where Farina is supposed to appear is supposed to go BEFORE this chapter. Gah, I had something planned for that chapter, and now I totally can't execute it. Nooo. Farina is epic win, though, so here she is.

I've changed _Guinivere _into _Guinevere. _Solely for selfish reasons.

Someone throw something at me to bring to my attention if this chapter happened to be an OC-fest. I hope no one got fed up of too much Anko-Mark-Xarin.

I just found out that the Matt-Tactician population of readers has almost completely changed their minds and shifted to Erk-Tactician. O.O (except for DarkBlaziken...)

And alright, the stuff about the god and goddess of war are there for totally selfish reasons. *cough*my FE6 fic*cough*. Sorry. I think some people have already noticed it.

"If you live to seek revenge, dig a grave for two" -- a jewish proverb

Guy getting drunk is... huh. Weird. Why'd I do that??

MattxXarin? Whaaaaattt??? Nah...

I personally like the small Linus dying scene in the beginning of the chapter. Wow. If I could just break from the canon script, I would totally let Lloyd and Linus live and let them join forces with Eliwood's Elite/ Hector's Happy Bunch / Hector's Hoodlums / whatever you call Hector's bunch.

If anyone ever notices, I am a big fan of fliers. I mean peg knights and wyvern riders. I only ever use Fiora and Farina and Heath, but my tactical plan is almost always "rush in and rain death with super eleet flying squad"

This would have been finished earlier if not for the writer's block when battle arrives. It's hard for me to describe battles. I spend months thinking of it. Any help? It might help me update faster!

**Alright, important notice!!!**

Xarin x Matt art from my dA account -- .com/art/FE-Thieves-Lie-127274929

I have enlisted in **LJ** under the same username. I don't know anyone yet from there, but anyone here who's on LJ? Please add me up because I'm miraculously new to the blogging thing. I'm also on **Fiction Press** under the same username. If you want to read my non-fanfic works (which I work on between _The Journey..._) please look me up there if you're already on FicPress. My original works might help give you something to read while I'm not through with The Journey chapters yet. If I may say so, I have a pretty decent original story up out there.

I've found this site called **Blurb** () that allows you to **customize your own book and submit it for printing**, and they'll print it for you book-quality and ship it to you. I checked the rates, and I figured printing this fic would cost me around **15USD (php700+),** but I'm not sure if this would fit in 440 page limit in 5x8 paper. Following up on DarkBlaziken's suggestion to sell this fic, that's probably the cost that anyone who would want to buy a copy of this ever (...anyone?) is looking at. I'd also need the copy/proofreader, bookcover art, and a whole lot more added features to that book. I'll probably order my book for myself when I get to finishing this. As a "Yay, I finished a long story WOOT WOOT" gift to myself.

I seem to be missing Xirysa. Does anyone know where she is? She hasn't been around in FF and dA it seems. I miss her Heath raves.

**NOTE TO PEOPLE**: (pardon my inability to reply to reviews and putting my replies on my author's notes. Gaah)

Firstly, send some love to **Angie/BlackGoldFicciesInc** for having scripted the game for me! We're currently on the chapter where she started scripting. Angie, I know you're around, so thanks. The fruit of your labor has arrived!

**Naryfiel Lilith**, welcome to The Journey!! XDDD I'm glad you liked this fic. As for who or what I'm shipping... I'm not really sure, either. XD I'm sorry, I know that doesn't help. But between Kumi, Erk, Matt, and Serra, the only definite is that it's not Matt-Serra. O.O I don't understand myself, either, and relating my other fic, Queen of Bern... Well, just hang on. I'll try my best to make things clearer and clearer as things end. But I think I just fancy writing about "relationships" rather than "romances". There's a difference between the two. Okay, I sound weird, ignore me. XDDD

**batSkull... **Welcome to this fic. XD Here, I finally updated! Hope you still like it, don't be afraid to speak your mind when you want to. :D

**Celedeen Takarona**... OMG I would love to see your drawing tell me where it is please!! XDD It can't be terrible. That you even thought of drawing Kumi makes me feel all happy inside.

**DarkBlaziken**: You're quite possibly the only Matt-Kumi fan remaining. O.O I initially wanted to go along what you suggested about Matt-tactician, but got swayed writing Erk, so... I don't think I'm going for the Matt-Serra thing, it would just be unnatural for me (meaning no offense to anyone). While Matt won't possibly have a pairing, he is STILL constantly in every chapter since he entered the fic, and I guess that makes up for it. I sometimes fear he ogles the spotlight too much. And thanks for bringing the inaccuracies in the previous chapter. And since this chapter has major Matt in it, I hope you like how things went. And... Jaffar scene last chapter thought provoking in what manner? What part of it? Just want to know. And yes, Heath smelled nice. Uh, I don't know how that could happen at all, but it was a dream, and weird stuff happen in dreams.

**FEMewMew**: Thanks for the support. Yes, it would be wonderful if I could just go out with the FE charas and forget all my boy problems. On a note, if I could date people from the FE series, my list would be: Matt, Heath, FE8's Joshua, FE8's Colm, and FE9/10's Ranulf. Wait, let's not forget my ultimate love, Kurthnaga. Sometimes I love him more than I love Zephiel, my other ultimate love.

**Elficiel... **Hello! Thanks for the review! So, you like Eliwood-Tactician? (Or maybe you mean Hector, but you said Eliwood in your review...) Well, you'll find that you'll be with a lot of Erk-Kumi fans out there. Don't worry, I try my best to please everyone. If you've ever got something on your mind about the fic, don't hesitate to tell! XD

**Rini Tsukino**, thanks for reviewing! You haven't reviewed before, I think. I hope you're having a good time using Raven--personally he's one of my fave characters. Oh, btw, in Raven's support with Wil, Wil calls him "Senior Rave", which Raven doesn't like at all. xD

**Jade**: (chapter huggles you back) o.O

**Leaf-Drifting-On-Wind**: It's sad about the FE6 fics--I personally think FE6 had one of the more interesting plots in the series, (and, IMO, the best villain) especially if you played it after FE7. Sad that not a lot of people know of it and that the fics aren't updated or given much notice. (...what is that one fic still updated?)

**Terran34**: Alriiight, I CHOOSE YOU! XDD (This, being an official fanfic novel and published? Still far off, I think) ...Sorry about the delay in chapter... And you've always been one of my critiques in this fic--I always look forward to your helpful advice.

**WhitzWolf**: I understand what you mean. I wrote this fic in the beginning thinking that someone absolutely had to die, and thus almost killed Erk if not for the violent reactions. Realistically speaking, Kumi, noting how childish she could be, has to be the goddess of luck if no one dies. But I can't point a finger on who to kill, and I usually end up feeling bad for them. Suggestions? Who should we kill?! (now I sound evil as well)

**Sorenfangirl04**: Wut?! I updated this before you updated _Confessions of... _?! Gaaah!! Soren and Lethe should thank me for begging you to set them free. Shame on you if you don't conclude it! (More shame if I finish this fic before you do, though that's highly impossible...) Tell BlackLotusFlower to update _Soren's Reign, _too! My inbox is dead and receives practically no update alerts.

**NEXT CHAPTER: HARKEN X ISADORA X LEGAULT MADNESS and MOAR CONFLICT!**

"_What would you do if I told Matthew everything? That you saved Jaffar, that you let him live?"_

_This isn't happening to me. I got to my feet and said, "No, don't!"_

"_He's going to hate you. An awful lot..."_


	32. YAY THIS FIC IS STILL ALIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

_We follow the Black Fang due south. Although the trail vanishes, Lyn uses her tracking skills, and the pursuit continues. The path leads up into Bern's impassable mountains. The peaks know no seasons, and the snow covers all in a bright blanket. In this land of blinding reflections, an ancient castle appears._

"Where are you going?" Anko asked when the group started to move.

I got up, Mark and Nerisa and Xarin and Anko all staring at me. "The Black Fang base," I said, "We've got to follow them. It's out only shot."

Anko shook her head and clicked her tongue. "...Not the brightest thing to do, but if it's your only shot..."

What? "...Maybe we should go with her. Even for a while," Mark told them, tone concerned, as if I was about to go into a den of lions and not Black Fang's base.

...Wait, a den of lions is probably better than the base of an assassin group out for your blood.

"Not me," Nerisa said. "I don't like cold places. It'll ruin my hair."

Cold places?"I would," Xarin said, "but I have to urgently get back to Ostia..."

"Why are you trailing them, anyway? They've fled." Anko said.

I blinked, because I had the slightest feeling that the group knew something that I didn't. "Well, they're the ones who stole the Fire Emblem from the Keep. And they're possibly going to assassinate the prince, too—"

"Zephiel?" Anko asked, surprised. "I mean, Prince Zephiel? Why? On whose orders?"

Xarin gave Anko a glance, and then she rolled her eyes. "Anko, you are the last person on Elibe who needs to ask that. I think you would know who ordered it."

Anko gave her a sharp look. "Of course I have guesses. I'm an _information dealer_, after all. But I needed a confirmation." And Anko turned to me again. "It's His Majesty King Desmond, right?"

I just wordlessly nodded. I can't believe how quick to news and politics my friends were.

"Then I've got work to do," Anko said. "I can't back you up on this one, Kumi. Sorry."

"No, don't worry," I said. "It's fine."

And then she took off her cloak and went towards me to put it on me. I was about to ask her why she did that, but then she whispered to me, "Be brave, Kumi, and be careful. You're about to jump into the freezing cold. Black Fang's base is in the Regrada Peaks."

The moment Anko said it was in Regrada, I literally froze. Mark must have seen it, because he immediately volunteered to come with me.

"But I thought you were taking care of things in the Academy..."

"That's not something that can't wait," he told me.

I recalled my mentor, his burial, and the words he left me and taught me. All that made me shake my head and tell Mark, "No, I'm sorry. I'm fine, Mark. I have to get through this without your help."

It's not just about battle, it's also about me, my twisted origins, and everything I've buried and forgotten ever since I met Anko and father.

We moved on, parting ways with Anko and Xarin and Mark and Nerisa. Anko was running hurried for some reason, and she left in a blink. Xarin had the leisure of talking to Lord Hector and Sir Oswin and Matt before leaving. I gave Nerisa the money that Sain and the guys raised for me to give in the temple in Geneva. She said she was going to go there to visit her father, and I told her to offer that to the temple on my behalf. My biggest fear is that the money would never make it to the altar and end up in her purse, but she promised. Mark stayed around the longest, staying about me, and Legault would probably describe him, too, as "a lover who doesn't want to let go".

But then we eventually moved on, and my friends vanished from sight. I don't know when I would see them again—it could be pretty soon, it could be in the distant future. It was sort of painful to think of leaving the family I had after I lost my own... but I realized I had a family, too, in this journey that I'm in.

Yes… a family. Lyn tended to be motherly more often than not. Lord Eliwood is that sweet cousin of yours that you can find no fault in. Lord Hector is like some bullying older brother who would still be the first to fight for you if you ever got in trouble. Heath is like some mysterious cousin's cousin, Legault was like your young easygoing uncle, Guy was like the little brother you could trick into doing things for you. Oh, it can go on and on. Kent tends to be fatherly, and Sain is that brother you're ashamed of having but otherwise love to the death.

I had a new family here.

As we walked and walked, I found my way to Lord Hector, and told him that we were possibly going into the nearly impassable Regrada Peaks. There were so many reasons why those white mountains were impassable. Snowstorms. Difficult terrain. Lack of human life anywhere. I doubted that we could even start a fire up there, and if we got lost or if it got dim, there wouldn't be a village or inn that we could just stop in. I told him that it was vital that we were high on supplies.

"Your friends knew where the Black Fang hideout was, after all." Lord Hector told me as we walked.

"Of course," I said, thinking about Anko and the rest from the group. "They're tacticians, and Bernese. If it's anything about the country, they're most likely to know about it. Black Fang is part of Bern's history too, after all."

"Then, how come you didn't know about it? The hideout?" he asked.

I paused, and took a breath before I answered. "I usually turn a deaf ear to Bernese politics, history, and geography. Most especially the Regrada region."

"What a great student you must be, Kumi," he teased. "I wonder how you ever became a tactician."

As usual, a subtlety-lacking Lord Hector. I wonder if he just forgot about my Regrada roots or if he doesn't know of it at all. I'm sure Matt would have told him about it, though. I decided to clue him in. "You know that the Black Fang used to be good, right?"

"Yeah, I know that."

"Do you know their first act? The very act that made them popular and made the people support them?"

He just shrugged. He didn't know.

"A corrupt marquess who didn't care for his people at all was killed in the name of Black Fang. He deserved it—he was a noble who would corrupt even the most dedicated knights and vassals. So Black Fang took him down, and the people were happy."

"Sounds like your ordinary freedom fighters or rebels," Lord Hector remarked.

"That's not the point, Lord Hector," I told him. "The marquess they killed was Marquess Regrada."

"Ah, so that's why their hideout is out there in Regrada. That was where they first moved, and probably where they were first formed."

"You're probably right about that," I said, "but that's still not the point. The lord that they killed, Marquess Regrada, was my blood father. Lord Hector, my real name is Genevieve Regrada. And as we walk towards the Black Fang base, I'm probably going back to my homeland for the first time in years."

At my revelation, Lord Hector promptly stumbled over a rock and fell flat on his face. I was shocked, and I nearly stumbled myself trying to help him get up. But he just yelled, "You're WHAT?" It startled even Lord Eliwood and Marcus and Oswin who were walking behind us.

I couldn't help but laugh a little at the expression Lord Hector put on his face. "Oh, Lord Hector," I said, as I held a hand out to pull him up. "Is it that surprising? I'm a noble, just like you are." Or at least, I was.

Anko was taken aback when she opened the Guild door to almost run into Xarin. "Oh, shoot," she said, "'Rin, get out of the way."

"Tell me about it," was all that Xarin said, tossing her pack to the couch while she stood by the door, blocking Anko's way out. Anko just raised a puzzled brow, but Xarin rolled her eyes, knowing it was just part of an act. "You know what I'm talking about, Anko. Tell me about _it_. There's chaos within the royal family of Bern. How—why—when-?"

The purple-haired spy gave a snort as she backed away into the room. "What do you care? You're Lycian now, with Lycian ties and allegiances—"

"Shut it. I have loyalties, but I never considered myself a part of any country," said Xarin. "But the king is out to get his own heir killed. That not only spells something for the history books, but it spells out what kind of man the king is. The other nations must be warned as well—"

"As well as the prince, and Her Majesty," Anko said.

Anko's words made Xarin almost gasp in disbelief. Never, Xarin recalled, has Anko displayed loyalty or concern for anyone, especially nobles, unless she had an ulterior motive... Money must be part of it. How much will she get paid for such information? But then again, if she carelessly spoke ill about the king, it meant treason and a trip to the executioner… So…

"What is this about?" Xarin sighed as she entered the Guild, dropping onto the couch. "Kumi and Mark got to you, huh? You care about the future of this country now? Or is it about the gold you might get?"

"My mother and my father devoted themselves to servicing the royalty of Bern. I'm not going to let a man like that just tarnish the title," Anko explained. "Prince Zephiel is our only hope of ever getting a decent ruler. He must be saved."

Xarin just gave a small sort of laugh, and Anko followed suit when she recalled the words she just said. She was a spy and thief, her mind conditioned to serve herself first before anyone else—concern for others was something unusual for her. When did she become soft and almost heroic like Kumi—

_Kumi_. _The girl has gotten herself together, hasn't she? She's gotten so much better. She'll do father proud. Now if those spoilt nobleman's sons could see how Regrada's illegitimate—and a girl, to boot—could do so well in tactics..._

Xarin noticed Anko pause and look contemplative, and then grin that mischievous grin of hers.

Xarin unconsciously shook her head. Whoever Anko was thinking about had better prepare for the worst, she thought.

_I'm keeping my paws off of this one, Kumi. Sure, I'll have a back-up plan... but you're one of the cards now. If I took the prince's side on this one, anyways, the king will doubt me and distrust me. And it's definitely harder to use someone who doesn't trust you. So you save the prince, Kumi. I know you will. Won't this work for both of us? You gain recognition, and I don't lose favor with the king. And I gain a friend who's rising in the ranks. So you and your group do it. I'll sit back and watch, and pretend I didn't know anything._

"Kumiko?" Someone called me from behind.

"Yes—Gaaah‼" Gah, all I had to do was turn around and I still had to stumble over a rock. I fell sitting down onto the dark forest loam.

"S-Sorry about that." The figure who called my name extended a hand and I looked up to see that it was Erk. …He always seemed to catch me in my less-than-graceful moments.

"It's not your fault," I said, as I took his hand and he pulled me up. The supply wagon passed us by in the background and I knew it because I could hear Merlinus' panicked shrieks that came along with it. I pulled my hand from Erk and dusted my skirt. Ah, Mark just washed it for me yesterday. It also seemed to be shrinking and getting short, or that was me getting taller.

"…So…" he began, awkwardly, "where have you been? I haven't seen you the past day."

I walked on with a shrug, and I realized that was rude when it hit me that this was one of the instances that I have an ordinary conversation with anyone. Most especially Erk. When we talked, it usually ended with someone getting puzzled badly. "I went home," I told him, as he walked on, too. "My father—mentor, I mean—died. I didn't make it in time."

"…I'm sorry."

"I've got stuff on my hands and mind other than that, though, so it's no big deal. I can't be sad when we have to fight. That's what he would say," I told him, trying to sound tough. Trying to prevent me from getting teary. When I lost Sir Alecto, it means I lost just about all my parents. Blood father, mother, stepfather, adoptive father—they were all gone. Maybe I was cursed.

"What about your parents, Erk? Are they well?" I asked, out of the blue.

He shrugged, but then I saw him cast a glance at Lord Pent and Lady Louise, walking ahead of us. "They have been my parents, for all I know. Ever since my real parents sent me to study under Lord Pent, he has been my father. I haven't heard from my family in years."

Oh. Then another out-of-nowhere question. "You have any sisters, Erk?"

"As far as I know I'm an only child."

"That's no fun," I said. I didn't have siblings, but I had Anko and the lot. "I didn't mean any offense by that, though."

He just shook his head, as if saying he understood. "You are right. It's no fun."

In a few moments, we were greeted by a sheet of white snow over a rocky path. There was a disorderly pattern of footprints and lines in the white snow, clear testament that people had passed through.

Snow spells a huge "welcome to Regrada".

"Now that they've come this far, they've let down their guard. You can see their tracks in the snow as plain as day," Lyn said, beaming. She was proud of her work, while behind her, Legault was already sitting on the snow, as if the feel of it relieved him.

"You tracked them without fail… Amazing," Lord Eliwood praised.

Lyn giggled contentedly, and then sharply turned to Lord Hector. "...Anything to say, Hector?" she asked.

Lord Hector looked stunned for a while, but then he just scratched his forehead and came out saying, "Ah...uh...I was wrong to doubt you."

"At least you admit it," Lyn teased. I was surprised Lord Hector didn't groan or roll his eyes, for once.

"It's easy work from here on out," Legault said. "We just follow the trail."

Lord Hector nodded, and called out, "Everyone!" More than a dozen heads turned to him, mine included. "We follow their trail! Follow my lead!"

There were cries of agreement and nods, but all I could think of is that we had to walk through snow.

I hated snow as much as I hated rain. Snow reminds me of Genevieve Regrada.

I could ramble on and on about why I hate the snow. Strategically speaking, it hinders movement of troops and a snowstorm clouds vision. Then, it was freezing cold—not the best condition to fight in. Then there were avalanches to worry about, and getting lost—it was easy to get lost in that pool of white—and losing provisions and ultimately dying.

I know I make it sound so bad. But I knew that what I was really scared of was the feel of all the blood rushing back through my veins and all the throbbing in my head. The familiarity of everything made me feel that. The memory of Genevieve running in that huge pit of snow, wandering aimlessly for home, came back to mind. I ran away. I nearly died.

"You're looking as white as this stuff."

I knew that voice even in my sleep. Matt was referring to the snow underneath our feet. "Are you tired?" he asked. "Your legs look like they're about to give away."

My legs were not just about to give away, they were also freezing. "It's nothing. It's just cold, Matt."

"Your fault for getting a short skirt," he said, looking down at my skinny legs.

I felt warmth creep up to my cheeks as I instinctively straightened my skirt. "It's easier to move," I reasoned.

Sain was helping Priscilla with her horse, who didn't like the snow any more than I did. I saw Raven hand out a scarf of some sort to Rebecca. Nils and Ninian were unusually well with the cold, and the Pegasus sisters? No word of complaint from them. Not even in their short skirts—they were Ilian and they were used to the snow.

We walked on, and I remembered that the walking on snow was no different from walking on sand—it really isn't that easy to move. Every breath I took fogged the air, and I think I would freeze over any moment. My skin was already bluish in color. And to top it all off, I was shivering. Thankfully, I wasn't the only one. Almost every girl in our group was wearing short skirts and shirts, so we all shivered a bit.

My shiver didn't have much to do with the cold, though. I was scared. I felt like there was a ghost creeping up behind me—more like a ghost of my past. I remembered blue eyes and blonde hair and the hard lines on his face.

"What's wrong with you? Kumi, you look like you're about to freeze over to death," Matt's tone was most concerned. "Don't do that, Kumi. We still have to fight. You have to be strong."

I knew he was right, but it was hard. So, so hard…

"I'm scared, Matt," I admitted. "…I don't like it here. I don't like it at all. I remember everything…"

I remember the face of a man I've sworn to forget, being forced to dress in long gowns and smile and bat my eyes at who's-who's son, getting laughed and yelled at for being a bastard. I remember a mother who had to silently watch her child being used for someone else's benefit. She was the one taken advantage of, but she was the one stripped of rights over her child. I remember running away from the castle, running to my mother, begging her to take me away and never return me to the castle again.

Matt watched me turn thoughtful, and I shivered, but I knew it was not just because of the cold. I remember his face again—his hair was brown blonde, like most nobles of Bern, his eyes deep blue—oh, I looked so much like him. I stupid looked so much like him.

I was surprised when I suddenly felt warm, and I realized Matt embraced me, putting his cloak over me. And then he pulled away, and he asked, "Do you ever remember that I had a little sister, once?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes… you talked about her a long time ago." He said I looked a lot like her, reminded him of her.

"I remember when she used to get scared and run to me all the time…" he said, voice distant. "But I couldn't be there for her frequently because of my job. I was supposed to give her this, then…"

He pulled out a small knife from his pouch—silver and so small and short, its blade just one hand-span. The hilt was decorated by sapphire orbs. "I was going to tell her something too, when I was supposed to give it to her. But now I'll give it to you, and the words, too."

I blinked, puzzled. He just gently shoved the knife in my hand. "Keep it, and when you're scared, remember me with it. Keep it, and when I can't be there to protect you, protect yourself with it."

"But, Matt—"

"Kumiko, you always screw up, always put others before yourself. But when someone threatens you, darn it, fight back! Protect yourself. I know giving you a weapon puts pressure on you, but you're smart. You'll know when to use this."

I didn't understand why Matt was giving it to me. The blade was cold against my skin, and I hated the feeling that I suddenly have the power to hurt someone or end a life with a knife. But I put it in my bag, without a word. "Thanks," was the only thing I found right to say.

"You can't die on us, so you have to be strong. Face whatever it is you're afraid of," he said, somewhat serious. But then he pulled me over to him and draped his cloak around me and dragged me to walk. He felt warm. I somehow wished he wouldn't let me go. I wished I could tell him that I was so afraid of a man who was already dead.

But then he put a hand to my hair, and messed it up badly. I yelped, and he laughed. "Oh, Kumi. I don't know what to do with you… You're just too adorable." he said.

I knew he was teasing me. "Oh, Matt, stop it!"

He laughed, and then said, "Yeah, whatever. And I've gotten used to that, too."

Puzzled, I asked, "Used to what?"

"_Matt_. I've gotten used to it."

I smiled, and he must have seen it, because he added, with his own smile, "But it doesn't mean I like it! But I guess it's part of what makes you, you. You're Kumiko."

I smiled—he told me exactly what I had to hear, even if he didn't know what I was thinking of.

_I'm Kumiko. Genevieve is dead._

Time seemed to drag in the snow. I hated this white filth—and I was freezing, cold to the bone. I had to drag myself to move on—and I lagged behind the others, walking more slowly than they did.

That was when the snowstorm came, absolutely unexpected. I gasped when I felt a sudden gust of wind and snow, so strong it felt like daggers piercing through my skin when it passed. I shrieked, falling on my knees, but I immediately got up and that was when I realized. I realized three grave things that moment.

One, there was a snowstorm. Two, I couldn't see anything because of it. Three, no one I knew was near me. I could hear screams and other voices, but I couldn't see anyone at all!

"Group together! Hang on to someone!" A male voice (Lord Hector?) yelled. "Try not to get separated!"

"My horse! Gods, I'm missing my horse!" came another voice.

"The supplies‼ Cover the supplies‼"

Panic was clearly in the air. For a second I was worried about the supplies myself—if we lost those, we were as good as dead.

And then I realized another thing. If I stayed alone much longer, _I_ was dead.

I mustered all my guts and got up and yelled. I called for almost everyone, and I walked and walked. The voices in the background were deceiving—at times they seemed near, at times they seemed far. I couldn't recognize any of the voices though I knew they were from our group—the strong winds made recognition impossible.

I walked onwards, never giving up on screaming, until I found an area with a few pine trees. I clung to one, holding onto it for support, giving up on screaming already. The wind would just carry my voice away, anyway. I think I cried, but in the snowstorm I couldn't really feel it. The bare skin on my legs felt like they were being ripped off from my bones.

I gasped, if only to stop myself from crying, and I took a breath and called out one final name. "Matt!" I yelled, to the best that I can. "Matt! Matthew, help me!"

But shortly after, I couldn't take it anymore—the cold, sharp wind, the blinding snow, the chill… The next thing I knew, I went black.

_I woke up to the sound of fire cackling in the fireplace, and I was puzzled to find myself in a comfortable bed, in a warm log house. The windows outside led me to see snow, snow, and more snow. So I was still in Regrada, after all._

_There was a woman by the fireplace, heating water in a kettle over the fire. She was dressed in a pristine white long dress, her long hair brown-blonde, just like mine. When she turned to me, I found her to be flawless—her skin was perfect, sun-kissed and smooth, her eyes a perfect green. But I couldn't make heads or tails of what was going on at all. I must have been dreaming. There was no way that a woman who looked like a princess was going to be in a log cottage in the middle of nowhere, in the freezing snow._

"_You're awake," she spoke. Her voice was the sweetest thing. I stirred when I realized she had been talking to me—maybe it was no dream, after all. "Are you cold? Would you like some spiced ale?"_

"_No... thanks." I said, dumbfounded. I tried to recall what last happened to me—oh. The snowstorm. Maybe this woman picked me up and helped me. "Uhm... Thank you for letting me stay here. I have to go pretty soon, too."_

"_You have to wait for the snow to calm itself first," she said, and I realized that she was right. I couldn't risk getting lost again. "For now, little girl, what is your name?"_

_I was silent for a while, my head slow to comprehend. There was the slight tinge of being careful poking at me, telling me not to tell her my name._

_She spoke first, though. "I am Genevieve. You are?"_

_I blinked in disbelief. "Genevieve..." I said, dumbfounded._

_She turned to me, and sitting there the wooden floor in her white dress, she was the prettiest thing. "Genevieve," she repeated. "Of course. You are Genevieve, too? It makes sense. Are you here, from Regrada?"_

_Why would it make sense? "No, I'm from the capital," I told her. "…My parents are from Regrada, though."_

"_So that is why," she said. "Genevieve is the name of the patron goddess of Regrada. A beautiful, but unlucky name, if I may say so."_

"_Unlucky?" Well, that may explain why I've been having all these bad things happening to me._

"_They say a woman named Genevieve is far more talented and beautiful than others, but as a price, she will cry more than any other woman does."_

_I cried a lot, sure, but the thought that I would cry more than any other woman was frightening. "Don't speak that, lady. Please. It's superstition."_

"_Let us hope that that is so," was all she said, and there was silence._

_She got up, revealing spots in her dress that I didn't notice were there before. They were darker spots in the front of her dress, as if she just ran in the rain. But, it's not supposed to rain in Regrada..._

_She got a piece of cloth and took the kettle from the fireplace, and she proceeded to pour the hot water into wooden cups on her low table._

_She mixed some powdery stuff from containers into the cups. I didn't know what those were—spices? She gestured towards the floor, as if asking me to sit down with her. I wordlessly did._

"_It will warm you," she said, as she pushed a cup towards me. Sitting with her on the floor, by the table, I realized how much she towered over me. Tall, pretty woman. I wondered again what she was doing in the middle of nowhere._

"_Don't worry," she said, when she noticed that I was just staring at her and not touching my cup. "It's not poison or some ill tonic. I am not that kind."_

_I snapped, and turned to my warm cup. She had already began drinking hers. "I'm sorry," I said. "I wasn't thinking that." I drank the warm drink. Sweet. She must have mixed in sugar. But when I gulped it down, I felt it leave a hot trail down my throat. I didn't know THAT was coming. I nearly choked out of surprise._

_The woman laughed. "That is why I love this drink. Sweet in your mouth, but leaves a surprising spice when you gulp it down. Helps in this cold weather."_

"…_Interesting," was all I said. I eyed the drink as if it were some great evil—I wasn't sure if I would drink it again after that. The woman, Genevieve, drained hers quickly. Maybe that was how you go about it. You gulp all of it down quickly._

"_Though, in the more logical train of thought, I wouldn't advise you to do it again," she suddenly said. I looked up to her, puzzled. She was smiling at me like a knowing mother would. "Don't just drink something a stranger offers you. You can never be sure what is in it."_

_She was right, but the fact that she told me that means she didn't do it. "I know that," I told her._

_There was silence, and I looked around some more. The cottage really was small—her bed and small table and fireplace and the small bookshelf. I found a book lying near the fireplace, and I recognized it was mine, the goddess of war book. Beside it was Matt's dagger, and my bag was nearby. She must have taken it off me, so that I could rest comfortably._

"…_What are you doing here, lady… uhm… Genevieve?" I decided to ask. It was weird to be refer to her with her name, because it was mine once, too. "This house is sort of in the middle of nowhere…"_

"_I'm waiting for him. My husband."_

_Oh. Her husband must work in the nearest village or something, but that doesn't explain the out-of-nowhere house. Or maybe her husband has been missing for years, and this house is their promised meeting place. Or anything. "Does he work in another village?"_

"_No," she answered, tone suddenly cold. I wonder if I asked the wrong question. "But I am his wife. If he tells me to wait for him, I wait. He's very much late today, though. I wonder what is taking him."_

"_Oh," was all I said, feeling the conversation far above me. I was a young, ordinary girl—marriage and having a husband and what a wife should do was far ahead of me. There was a small silence. I noticed a chess set on the lower level of the bookshelf. I wondered if the woman played._

_But then she turned to me to ask before I could ask her. "That book..." she pointed to the book Lord Athos gave me. "Where did you get it?"_

_It would be unbelievable if I told her that one of the Eight Legends gave it to me. "Uh... A friend lent it to me."_

"_Ah," she said. "Well, forgive me, but I've read it while you were asleep. I must say, it is quite accurate."_

"_Accurate?" I couldn't help but ask. "But it's a legend. No legend is accurate. Detailed, maybe, but not accurate." Even though Lord Athos was a credible person to believe, and he said gods were real, the book can't be entirely spot on._

"_Ah, but legends stem from truth," she said. "And sometimes the truth is nothing like the legends describe—sometimes grander, more unbelievable."_

_I knotted my brows. Not quite. Usually the truth was a simple thing. I knew how "truth" changes for every person—I had a few years in a noble's court, where exaggerations were order of the day. Usually truth was so small and minor, but when it's passed from a person to another, it becomes a different thing._

_The woman suddenly gave a small giggle. "I can see your disbelief," she said. "You have no faith in gods?"_

_I shrugged. "A good person told me that they are true. So I suppose I believe him. But I do believe that I won't let my life be controlled by those gods. I can't just be something subject to their whims."_

"_But humans are never subject to a god's whims," she said, with a strange determination about what she spoke of. "They carve their own paths. A god only intervenes if asked." I started to wonder if she was some Elimine cleric, or simply a believer, like Lord Athos was._

"_But if that's…" I stopped before I could finish the question. I felt stupid, arguing with a woman I just met about gods. She—Genevieve—looked at me and smiled a sheepish smile, as if she did not like talking of gods as much as I did. I just gulped down my ginger drink, ending the topic there._

_She got up and went to the chess set on her bookshelf, as if she were going to get it. "The snow looks like it will last longer than we think," she said. "Humor me, Genevieve. Do you play?"_

_I felt my stomach churn at being called Genevieve. "Chess? I'm sorry, I don't…" I began, but she smiled and continued picking up the pieces. She said, with a small laugh, "There is actually a child of Regrada who does not? A miracle."_

_There's a saying that says everyone in Regrada—even children—supposedly knew the game. Regrada was popular for its tacticians, maybe that was why, but staying here a while I could reason that it was mostly because the snow prevented us from doing a lot of outdoors stuff. _

"_Help me, anyways," she said. "When my husband returns, he'll want another go at it with me—I won last time. I'm sure he will demand a rematch."_

_I wordlessly got up and walked to her, to the bookshelf—and I stood there agape when I recognized most of the books in her shelf. Books on battle tactics. Some of them were rare and old—even the Academy didn't have them. Where did she…?_

"_Oh, you like my books? I'm surprised." she asked when she realized I stood there, frozen. "Those are about battle… tactics, strategy. I doubt it would interest a girl. My husband and I argue over who has more books on warmaking—you should see his. He has nothing but first editions."_

_She had books written down by people who practically built the study of tactics—the first tacticians, the coiners of the terms we used in tactics now. I pulled one out after she gave me an approving nod—and, gods, the book was handwritten, not printed. Handwritten by a master tactician of old._

"_You can keep that," she suddenly told me, as she was finishing setting the chess game on her table._

_I jerked in surprise. "No!" I protested. "This is a first edition, written by the author himself… how can I just take it? It's yours."_

"_As I said,"—she looked up to me with a warm smile—"humor me. Take it. Rarely do I get visitors, and it's fated that you appreciate the same things I do. So take it. I have more books. I will not cry over one."_

_I was feeling uneasy about everything—the odd setting, the unbelievably beautiful woman, and her even more unbelievable collection. First edition! Handwritten! I couldn't believe it. And she was giving it to me, just like that? Everything was out of place. What was she doing in the middle of nowhere in the first place? She was educated, beautiful, refined…_

_She was putting up the pieces on the checkered board when she suddenly looked up to me with a thin smile. "If you will not take it as a gift, then you will take it as a bribe, will you?"_

_What? "…A bribe?"_

_She nodded, her smile a bit sheepish. "Yes, a bribe. It embarrasses me, but if you would—if only you would—I want you to do something for me."_

"…_What is it?"_

"…_There is something here that upsets me," she said, as she stared out the window, out the fields of snow. "Someone who defiles our existence—he disgusts me to the core, he ruins my homeland… these pristine white fields. He levels us with that wretch of a—oh, Kumiko. I can't stand him. I have enough to worry about with my husband ambling about. And then that wretch—oh, I want to beat him and shake him violently and get rid of him. But I have no power to. Will you do it for me?"_

"…_Who are you talking a-" I began to ask, but I paused, replaying her words in my mind. And then I yelled, surprised, "You called me 'Kumiko'!"_

_She blinked, as if puzzled herself. I never told her I had another name, "Kumiko"… How would she know…?_

"_Ah," she then said, as she just smiled sweetly to me. "Of course I did. Of course I know your name, I know who you are. But, humor me. Will you pretend I never called you 'Kumiko'?"_

"_No, you can't get away with not—" I started, but then I felt the floor shift and spin and my knees weaken. I clutched my head—oh no oh no oh no!—my world was spinning, spinning badly. I caught her smile, and then saw the cups we drank from on her table. Maybe she did slip something in my drink—she warned me about it, because she did it. I was stupid to not be careful._

"_Thank you for the company," I heard her voice say. "…You will forget about this one day." I fell to the floor and went blank._

"Kumiko? Kumiko‼ Wake up! Please, wake up!"

My head still felt awful when I opened my eyes—the world was shaking, and I looked up and found that it was because someone was shaking my violently. I looked closer and found that it was Rebecca.

"…Rebecca?" I asked, just to clarify.

"Yes!" she answered. Then she looked up—there were others with her, I just realized—and told them, "She's alive!"

"…She drugged me," I whispered.

Rebecca looked puzzled. "What?"

"She put something in my drink. And she was so pretty…"

I heard what was undoubtedly Lowen's voice say, "She's confused. She's been out in the snow too long."

_Out in the snow?_ No, I remembered a warm log cottage. I got up, and looked around—and found that I was surrounded by snow, lying right in the middle of it, with Rebecca, Lowen, Geitz, and Wil surrounding me.

"…What happened?" I asked.

"You should know!" Wil said. "You suddenly disappeared from the group when that snow storm came. We went all over looking for you. The lords wouldn't proceed until you were found. You could have been swallowed by the storm."

"No, I was…" I remembered the warm cottage situated in the middle of nowhere, and the woman that was there. Strangely, I couldn't remember her face, but I knew that she was beautiful. I looked around—I seemed to be in the exact same spot I was when I got lost in the storm. I remember—the pines were there. Have I dreamt it? Have I dreamt her, that woman? Maybe that was why I couldn't remember her face now. You tend to forget dreams.

"We should talk later," Geitz just said. "Are you alright? We have to find the others immediately now so we can move on. Can you get up, Kumi?"

I tried to, but my legs felt horribly numb after being soaked in the snow for gods-know how long. In the end, Geitz just grabbed me and carried me on his back, maybe because he was running impatient.

Did I dream everything? Maybe it was a dream—that was why she knew my name. Maybe she was _me_ and I was talking to who I could have been if I remained Genevieve. Then I would have been stuck in the middle of nowhere, married to a man who half the time seems to be away. Maybe it was a premonition of sorts. Maybe it was a dream, because suddenly I couldn't remember her face.

But I was sure it wasn't. When I got up to stand, something fell off my lap. A leathed-bound volume of _The Art of War._ First Edition, handwritten.

"You always just have to cause trouble for yourself, eh, Kumi?" Lord Hector told me with a raised brow when I saw him.

I looked down on the snow, embarrassed. "Apologies, my lord."

He seemed shocked, and he yelled out, "Don't do that!" I thought he meant getting lost or apologizing, but then he said, "That '_my lord' _thing. I swear Matthew and Oswin are rubbing onto you. And you! You just had to get lost, huh? I'm going to strap you to a horse!"

I felt like being scolded by a bullying older brother. "Sorry, Lord Hector…"

He sighed, and suddenly turned softer. "…Don't get lost. We need you. This group needs you, Kumiko. You have to be strong."

But what if I couldn't afford to be strong, what if I didn't feel like it? But I simply said, "Yes, Lord Hector."

Matt was, of course, going to find me too and give me a good scolding. He actually ran up to me and shook me badly. "Why do you have to be such an attraction to accidents and the like? I leave you alone for a second, and then you get lost in a snowstorm! Way to go."

He sounded the tiniest bit angry there, but then he sighed and closed his eyes and said, "You can't die. Don't die on me. No one's dying on me anymore."

I gasped, only because I was moved by what he said. Only in glimpses did any of us catch Matt being serious—that was definitely him being serious. But then he just smirked again and messed up my hair. I yelped and backed away from him, and he just laughed.

"I gave you a knife to protect yourself, but I totally overruled the fact that it's not always people that can harm you. Knowing you, you could probably trip over a rock and die. Someone just has to keep an eye on you all the time, really."

And I knew that someone was him. It's been his job, his personal assignment. Lord Hector told him to do it. But I was glad to know that somehow, he's got my back.

After a few more minutes, we finally stopped when we realized we had found what we were looking for.

When I saw the castle fortress ahead of us, I froze cold then and there. Not because I was tired, not because I was scared at the thought of running into a group of armed assassins, but plainly because…

…Black Fang's hideout was Castle Regrada.

The tall castle gates were recklessly open, and the silence and stillness that filled the area would have indicated that, by all means, you were entering an abandoned fort. The foot trails of the soldiers or assassins that might have returned here were all gone, covered quickly by the new snow that fell from the skies. Bravely we entered the gates into the courtyard, wide in the middle of the stone castle and the other structures that surrounded it.

There was not a hint of a guard or watch around. Was Black Fang being reckless, or were they watching, only we didn't know? But then again, this was Castle Regrada. _He_ never kept watches, just like Bern Keep. We never had watches and guards—of course, who would trek half a day in the snow and risk getting lost only to find a castle? The supplies we needed came through the wyverns—we had no need to leave the castle, no need to meddle with the common folk unless things absolutely called for it.

The snow field was Castle Regrada's natural defense, keeping it a nearly impenetrable sanctuary. It seems Black Fang thought the same.

"Now...What have we here..." Lord Hector said when he looked around. "What a complicated place."

Complicated indeed. There were many structures—and I was shocked at how I could still name them. The main castle, the stables, the small temple to the goddess—oh, I could still name them. I couldn't believe it. However, it made me feel awful. I swore to forget everything, yet I still…

"It's little more than whispers, but I hear human voices," Lord Eliwood pointed out, and we all quieted down and tried to listen. And we knew that he was right—there were people talking…

Naturally, Lyn was the one to point out its direction. "Over there, I think. Let's take look." And she tugged at my hand, too. "Come with us. Moving around will do you good, so you won't freeze."

No, nothing would do me any good. My body was frozen stiff and my mind was numb, assaulted by too many flashbacks from the past. But when Lyn pulled on me again, my feet moved, and with Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood, we crept to where the voices came from.

The voice was sort of familiar, it was so… disorienting. I've had enough of flashbacks, of familiar feelings and textures and sounds returning to me. Hearing a familiar voice added to that…

"Really? You're giving me a mission? Really and truly! Mother!" the girl's voice was sort of thin, as if the speaker were so small and fragile.

But then I dared take a quick peek from the window, and saw who she was.

It was _her. _That girl from Liestal. That girl with the Angel of Death, with Jaffar. Green-haired and small and innocent, just about my age. I didn't—I didn't expect to see her again. I didn't _want _to see her again. There were already too many issues bringing themselves up for me, and that I'm reminded of what I've done _again_, that I've let Leila's murderer live…

I concentrated and tried to listen in again, just as the lords were doing. "…a very big job at that. ...It's for the king of Bern." The speaker was a grown woman now, voice alluring and smooth but dangerous.

"The king!" the little girl nearly shrieked. "Such an important job...for me?"

A huge, rough male voice cut in. "Sonia, I'm against this. Giving such a dangerous job to this child?"

There was a small pause in the air, and then the girl's voice again. "…Father?" Ah, so the big man was her father.

"...You're right," the woman (Sonia?) spoke again. "This really is a job for your sons. However, we've seen nothing of them since their last report."

The girl merely whispered the names, but I heard them loud enough. "Lloyd...Linus..."

There was silence, and I gasped. Sir Linus and Sir Lloyd are gone? Are they… dead? No, no. Maybe they've defected from Black Fang. That's right. They defected. I'm sure we'll see them again one time, and work with them.

"…my daughter will do this," Sonia said. "And I will have no complaints from you about it."

A tense silence again, and then heavy footsteps, going away. The girl's father—Sir Lloyd and Linus' father—Brendan Reed, had left. But… how did _she _become his daughter? I've never heard of Brendan Reed having a daughter. Nor did she share any qualities with Brendan Reed—Sir Lloyd and Linus, you could see Brendan in them. She didn't look like that Sonia who she called her _mother, _either.

"First, business!" Sonia suddenly said, breaking the silence. "Jaffar! Come!" she called, and snapped her fingers, and I heard light footsteps drawing near.

"Jaffar!" the girl greeted, surprised.

_Jaffar! _The name very nearly made me choke. I held it in.

"Look! That man!" Lyn whispered to us. "He was at the Dragon's Gate."

"Nergal's henchman. No doubt about it," Lord Hector confirmed.

We turned and tuned back to the conversation again.

"You heard the king's request, did you not?

"Prince Zephiel...He wants him assassinated," he said. Jaffar's voice was low-toned, deep but quiet, and monotone. Last I saw him, he didn't have a chance to speak. So that was the voice of Leila's…

…Wait up. The king _really_ wants the prince…?

"What? The prince? The king wants to kill the prince? Why? He's his son, isn't he?" It wasn't me, but it was _her_, that little green-haired girl, voicing exactly what I was thinking.

She was too surprised by the job, far too surprised than necessary for a member of Black Fang. "Nino!" Sonia practically howled at her. "Be quiet!"

Nino, that little girl, mumbled a quiet apology.

Sonia turned to Jaffar again. "Jaffar, this mission is yours...and you're to take Nino."

Nino looked up to her mother, surprised. If Jaffar was surprised, nothing in him gave it away—not his face, not his movements. He was still, almost like stone. But when he spoke, it finally gave away his thoughts, though his face never did.

"...You're not serious?" he asked Sonia, almost implying.

Sonia looked surprised—irritated, even—that Jaffar was asking. Maybe he never questioned anything before. "_Yes, I'm serious_," she said. "This girl is my daughter. She must prove herself as soon as possible."

He stared at her, he was unmoving, still. "...Don't do this. This is too much for her." Again, he had no expression, but his voice had everything in them, they had… I don't know, maybe…

Emotion. Feelings. His face and body gave nothing away, but his voice and his words revealed his concern. The Angel of Death—concerned?

Sonia didn't seem to notice that. "As long as you're with her, there should be no problem. I'll brook no disagreement. We must have the king in our debt. Those are Lord Nergal's explicit orders."

Jaffar said nothing. Sonia turned to Nino. "You understand the consequences if you fail, don't you?"

"Um...yes," Nino said, almost uncertainly.

Sonia nodded. "Then we're off to investigate the prince's manse. I'll provide more details on the way there."

"Do they _seriously_ mean to assassinate the prince?" I've heard some of it, but I was still caught in disbelief. That anyone would even want to assassinate Prince Zephiel—who looked pretty innocent most days—was just unheard of. Everyone loved him. I remembered how even in the distant border town of Liestal, everyone was still excited about his coming-of-age. …It was impossible that his father would not have even an ounce of love for him.

"I don't believe it myself, but it's true," Lord Hector whispered, a caution, because we were pretty sure no one was around now. Sonia and Nino and Jaffar had left, leaving no one in sight apart from us.

"The Emblem is essential to the prince's ceremony, right?" said Lyn. "But having the Emblem becomes useless if the prince is dead!"

Absolutely. "We must stop the assassination!" said Lord Eliwood. "It's the only way. But how…"

How indeed? They were on their way as we spoke now… we could chase them, of course, but if we were going to do that, that means we let our presence be known, and that's not really a good idea—the Fang would turn on us and make us their enemies. (Wait, as if that's not happening already.) If we stopped the assassins, Fang would know who did it, and they might just attack the prince anyway. They would also inform the King of Bern that someone—us—tried to protect the prince… and that puts us in a bad spot. We have enough of Black Fang running after us, we can't handle Bern's military along with that. We're not here to stir war between the nations, we just somehow got involved in this mess…

And, oh, there was the Emblem, too. We needed that, it was part of the deal with the Queen. But if we defended the prince before the Emblem turned up, chances are it would never turned up _ever_. If the king sees that the prince wasn't gotten rid of by assassination, maybe he'd just disinherit him, forever hide the emblem or even throw it away. So many things to consider, so many things that could happen. Do we drag the entire group against two assassins or do we send a small group to protect the prince while we search for the emblem—

Wait. _Two assassins_. A lot of this depended on the two assassins that would kill the prince… Two assassins I kind of knew…

"Nino...If we speak to her, she might understand." I said it to myself in a whisper, but I was surprised that the lords caught it, their heads all turning to me.

"A-Are you sure?" Lord Hector looked uncertain. I didn't know why he was—if he watched the girl, he'd surely see that Nino doesn't really like assassinating the prince. She was shocked when she heard the king wanted the prince killed. And she's a sweet girl, just about my age, maybe younger… I only had a chance to be with her a short while, but anyone with a soul to save someone like the Angel of Death would not be able to think of murdering an innocent prince. She might listen. She _will_ listen.

But then I realized that it wasn't Nino Lord Hector was concerned of when Lyn spoke. "…But Jaffar looks like a dangerous man..." she said.

Of course. _Jaffar_. He was what we should really worry about—stone-cold, a true murderer. Even Ephidel and Legault warned us about his skills, his ability to perform the tasks he's been given. He'll follow his orders, and if Nino can't do it, he will.

But then again, what was our other choice? It's trying to convince those two, or heading into war with Fang and Bern. The first choice is just so convenient. If we get Nino to not carry out the assassination, we don't directly get involved with Fang—we get discreet about presence, we can avoid heading into straight war with Fang and Bern… It was just too good to pass up. We had to try.

"If they don't listen, we fight," I said. "But if we get Nino to stop—"

"And Jaffar," Lord Hector reminded, as if I were missing out a vital part. But of course. Jaffar was a vital part.

"Right," I corrected myself. "If we don't get Nino _and Jaffar_ to stop, we fight them. If they listen to us, that would be very convenient for us. We just have to try."

The lords agreed on just that—we had to try to talk to Nino… and Jaffar. The Jaffar part still has me worried, though—what if he still chooses to carry out his orders? There was the slight chance that he'd join Nino if she ever chose to side with us, but…

But he's Leila's murderer. If he can deprive Matt of a lover, he can kill anyone, even us. And we can't just ask a favor of him, we can't ask him to join the group. He can't. There's just no way…

No, no, no. No point overthinking. We had to take a risk. If they listen, good. We'll think about what happens next after that. If they don't listen, we fight.

…_We_ _fight_. Oh, that would be terrible! I-I can't imagine giving orders to kill Nino…

The lords and I walked back into the open courtyard of Castle Re—the Black Fang base. Marcus and the others had obediently stayed there, and they looked relieved to see us returning. From afar, despite the snow, I could see the tense expression in Marcus' face clear as he saw Lord Eliwood come into view. I imagine that he was getting impatient and would have ordered others to look for us if we'd been gone any longer. We joined them and told them a bit of what we heard.

"We're in their base anyways, we can't pass up the chance to find the Emblem," I said. "It's best that we secure it, too. We can send a small and quick but very dependable group to defend the prince…"

I was already thinking of who to send. Definitely Heath and Farina and Fiora—their mounts make them able to go past Regrada quickly. Definitely Legault—you need someone who knows Bern and knows how the Black Fang thinks and knows how to move sneakily. Maybe Lord Pent or Erk—magic and healing in one unit. Maybe-

A voice suddenly rang in the silence of the cold snow. "Hello, trespassers. I bid you welcome." It sounded the opposite, though—not a welcome. "Imagine, the stronghold of a guild of assassins, infiltrated."

And then we turned to face the voice who just spoke. Lord Eliwood immediately gasped in surprise—the speaker was a bishop, all too obvious in his holy garbs, his staff, the hat on his head, the jewelry he wore. It all spelt 'bishop' or 'priest', but there was an aura about him that told me that he wasn't serving the Elimine church. Maybe it was the way he spoke, his voice. So… sinister. Like a cruel noble. Like _him_.

"You...You're a holy man," said Lord Eliwood, still surprised. "What are you doing in this place?"

"Hah!" the bishop chuckled, looking at Lord Eliwood as if he were stupid. "Are you referring to my relationship with the "gods"? Are you still held in thrall of such a concept? You've met Lord Nergal, haven't you?" _Nergal_! Then he was Nergal's man—a bishop supposedly wielding holy magic… Nergal's man! "There is something you must know. Gods are lies created by the weakness in all mankind. If a god truly exists, then it is my Lord Nergal. Only him."

"Insane..." Lord Eliwood said, a soft whisper.

"Eliwood!" Lord Hector called out. "Waste no time with that madman! Let's get out of—"

But then we heard a girlish shriek—undoubtedly Serra—and we turned to her to see her sitting on the snow, as if she just fell, right before the castle gate. "It blocked me!" she yelled, "It stopped me! There was some sort of shock—"

Sain went to help Serra up, while Lord Pent walked up to the gate, extending a hand past the thing. A small flash of light and a sharp sound followed, and Lord Pent instantly withdrew his hand. "A barrier with a current of shock. This is not some low-leveled magic…"

"Can't we do anything?" I screamed. Lord Pent shook his head. "Nothing that we can do immediately. It takes a while to destroy a spell like this. The fastest way would always be to kill the source, the caster."

"...That man," Ninian said, pointing to the bishop, just when I was wondering who the barrier-caster was. "It's him. The one in front of you... A surge of evil..."

And he laughed wickedly, as if thinking we were slow to realize that. "Nothing is more beautiful than the suffering of man," he said. "When I'm watching, I'm afloat in an ocean of pure bliss. I will watch you for a long, long time…"

And he vanished into thin air—a teleport spell.

"...Gone," said Lord Eliwood.

"...It's all right. He's still close...In this building...somewhere," Ninian said, as she closed her eyes, as if trying to focus, trying to see where the evil bishop went.

"We've got to defeat him and destroy this barrier!" Lyn said, after approaching the gate and testing with her hand the strength of the spell. "We have no choice but to fight!"

"Kumiko!" Lord Eliwood turned to me. "We've got to find that man and escape this place! What are your orders?"

"Merlinus, stay here!" I said, trying to sound urgent, but trying to keep my voice down. They knew we were coming now—and they were watching us, only we didn't see them. Black Fang. The bishop must have warned them of our presence now.

Merlinus continued to hurriedly toss and give out items and equipment to those who needed it. I quickly thought in my mind—horses were horrible in the snow as they were in the sand, so it was better I placed them somewhere stationary. "Horsemen and cavaliers—even Priscilla—stay by the supplies, guard Merlinus and Ninian and Nils! Except for…"—I tried to think quickly—"Isadora! Isadora stays with the attacking team." Her horse seemed less wary of the snow, and she was much quicker than Marcus and much careful than Sain.

Sain almost protested, but Kent told him to quiet it.

And then I ran along to the mages—Erk, Lord Pent, Canas, Lucius—who were by the gate, examining the magic barrier. When I stared at the seemingly empty space between the gate, I realized that there was light being reflected… I mean, it was like the surface of a bubble. And it seemed like the entire castle was in a bubble and we were trapped inside. "What do you think?" I asked the mages.

"It's a no go," Erk said. "It's impossible to get past it."

"And a counter-spell?"

Lord Pent shook his head. Canas said, "No time for that, and it's not like we have the materials we need for it, either."

"It's not… It's not Light magic," Lucius said, staring at the barrier, looking confused.

"But he was a bishop," I told Lucius.

Lucius shook his head. "It verges on dark. It's somewhere in between. I can feel holy magic in there—but it is twisted. Altered. Impure. That man's magic… it is not from the gods."

"What do you know about that man we just saw?" I asked Legault.

He continued sharpening his daggers with a stone. "All I know is his name. I think it's Kenneth. I heard Brendan's new wife installed him here—but part of the original Fang? No. He isn't. That's why I don't know anything about him."

"And how many Black Fang do you think are in the base now? How many do you think will attack us?"

He stopped sharpening and looked thoughtful for a while. "The real members of Fang, I've seen with Linus at Liestal. I think they chose to go with him. The ones in this base are probably new recruits, people that Sonia woman pulled into the group. I don't know exactly how many new people they got—but I'm positive there's a lot of them, Kumiko."

"Tell me that we've got just a bit of advantage here, Kumi," Lord Hector said, because we just looked up at the sky and knew that a small snowstorm coming. Great. "Do we have any advantages?"

I tried to think up of one—even just one—and then I smiled, half-heartedly. "We can't get lost," I said. "I know the terrain a lot."

He was puzzled. And then I explained it to him. "Welcome to Castle Regrada, Lord Hector. I lived here for the earlier parts of my life. I still remember much of this place. We can't get lost."

"You're riding with Heath?" Matt sounded surprisingly offended as he caught me jumping onto Hyperion's saddle. I blinked, wondering why Matt was suddenly critical—he sounded so edgy that it was Heath who answered him.

"…Is anything wrong?" Heath asked, purely puzzled.

"It's not like I'm doubting you, man," Matt told Heath, and then he turned to me again. "You just fell of the same wyvern moments ago."

Hyperion grunted and flipped his tail, the way the wyvern does when he seems to understand that someone's speaking badly of him. "It's fine," I told Matt. "That's over. Raven saved me, anyways."

Matt rolled his eyes. "Raven won't always save you. There's also no insurance that an enemy archer won't see you and try to shoot you."

He was right, but Heath was the one who talked back. "The snow," Heath said, "The snow would break her fall. We won't be flying that high anyway—she won't be in danger. As for the archers, there won't be much of them. Not when you live in Regrada, where the wind and snowstorms always come. Snow gusts are frequent-they render arrows useless."

Matt blinked at Heath, surprised, and then he just said "okay" and went off.

"…How did you think of that?" I asked Heath, puzzled.

"Of what?"

"The wind. The snowstorm. The shifting climate of Regrada."

He shrugged. "I guess it's from being a wyvern knight. We know how to look at the skies and know what's coming, and we know how to use the weather to our advantage."

I lit up, and said, "Genius! You're a genius, Heath! You're right!"

"…Kumiko?"

But he was right! He really was right. "We can use the weather to our advantage. If there's going to be a snowstorm, Black Fang stays inside these walls—they can't fight us head-on, with their full force. They're not going to rush into the storm—at least not all of them. So if we fight them off, one by one, in the different buildings… we've got power and number advantage… Do you understand?"

"Not quite," Heath admitted. "If we rush into the storm ourselves, we could get lost and separated…"

"Separated? Not with a group this huge. And lost? Not when I'm around."

Gusts of wind came, along with whirls of snow, and that was my cue to get things started. Lord Eliwood and the rest looked skeptical at first with my suggestion of attacking in time with the snow gusts, but Lord Hector just said, "Aw, heck. She's the tactician. She knows what she's doing. Better to have the storm on your side than charge at the Black Fang dead-on. This isn't some endless snowpath. It's a castle; we can't get that lost and separated."

This battle was different in the sense that we were on the offense. The gusts of snow forced the Fang to stay in the structures, waiting for our attack. Our huge group clung onto each other and battled it out with the weather as we came across the first structure—the wine house. Or at least it was years ago.

The double doors were secured and locked. We tried our best to keep quiet, but we knew that the enemy inside was sure we were just outside, and they were readying their defenses. I jumped to Legault's side—he was pressing his ears to the door, whispering, "I can't hear a thing. Whoever they are—they're people that can be still."

_Mages_, I thought, recalling how Erk can be perfectly quiet and content with a book. Mages or thieves. If I remember the size of the wine house, there would be at least six to twelve of them in there. "Fiora and Florina, Lord Pent and Lady Louise, Dorcas and Lyn… Stay here to engage them. The rest, move out onward. We have to take advantage of the weather while it's there."

The wind suddenly became so strong as we pressed forward that Heath (with me in tow) and Farina had to refrain from taking to flight and had set their mounts to walk on the ground instead, like horses. Hyperion whined, not used to the activity. Heath expertly shushed his mount, and we pressed forward.

Guy was looking woozy and sick. I felt horrible, thinking that he might want to throw up—and we weren't even on a ship. I waited until Hyperion passed by Guy, and then I called out to the swordsman. "Guy, are you well?"

He looked up at me, a bit weakly, and he just said, "…It's just the snow." He rubbed his red nose and sniffed. And then he shuddered. "…So cold. I'm gonna catch the flu or something here… And it's odd how for once we're the ones who're going out and looking for a fight… Achoo!" He sneezed, out of nowhere. I wasn't sure the conflicting weathers—a desert one day, a snowfield next—were having a good effect on all of us. When he saw me turn concerned, he said, "But don't worry about me! I'm a Sacaean. I can handle this."

"_And, there you go…" Legault said, as he finished the picking the lock for the wine house door. He got up, about to kick the door open to give the enemies inside a startle—but they beat him to it. In a second, the wooden double doors were set ablaze, the impact of the magic making Legault quickly fall to his knees and crouch defensively." There were mages inside—the tactician was right._

_And then Legault lifted his eyes towards the burning door only to see another fireball—a huge one at that—hurled at his direction._

_Damn it, how do you evade THAT? Legault thought to himself, knowing that the spell was advancing too quickly for him to evade. But then he felt a small breeze and heard a swirl of capes—and Lord Pent was in front of him, and there was a flash of white—and the fire spell was dissuaded, nulled._

_Fiora, Florina, Lyn and Dorcas rushed inside, finding the enemy filled with mages, one of them looking stronger than the rest; a sage. The two Pegasus knights led the offensive—with their mounts' resistance to magic—while Lyn and Dorcas supported them._

"_That was not low-leveled magic," Legault heard Pent say as the thief got up, turning to the so-called Magic General of Etruria. He was rubbing his right arm, and when Legault looked at it, he found the lord's velvet sleeves singed, as if it was burned. From deflecting the fire spell?_

"_Are you alright, my lord?" Louise asked her husband._

"_Understandably," said Pent, as if patting off the burnt ashes of his sleeve. "Let's go, Louise! We—at least I—don't want them killing the sage there before me. I have a score to settle with that one."_

"I'm a hundred percent sure that they have horsemen here," Matt said, as he picked the locks of the stable doors. "I can smell the horses from a mile away. Hear 'em, too."

Horsemen—like cavaliers and nomads. God, I left our own cavaliers by Merlinus—there's no one to fight with those enemies on an equal footing. Cavaliers could use both swords and lances—an advantage when they're on your side, a disadvantage when they're the enemies. I needed people who I knew were good enough to survive, and a balance of weapons.

And who do you depend on when you need serious business done? "Raven," I said, "your group stays here." He simply walked up front and nodded. "And… Geitz, and Rebecca, and Serra, and Lord Eliwood… Lord Eliwood, is that alright with you?"

"Not a problem," he answered, making me relieved. While Lord Eliwood was such a kind Lord, I always had worries that he'd suddenly refuse my orders in battle rudely one day. I don't know why I have that idea. Maybe it's just he's too nice, and I was waiting for the day it would fade.

"We'll stay by here—you guys should move, quickly," Lord Eliwood reminded, and so we set off.

"_Speed it up, thief," Raven chided Matthew. "Even the enemies inside are going to be irritated—they might just break down the door themselves."_

_Matt gave a small groan and rolled his head, but he kept his hands on the locks, fingers continuously working. "I know it, I know it, but these Bernese locks are odd and like nothing I've ever worked with. It's like they're made by thieves to stop thieves."_

"_If I were right inside, I'd probably be the first to chop open the door, just to get a chance at fighting," Geitz said, getting impatient as well. "I'm bloody freezing out here. I'd do anything to warm up."_

_Matthew sighed at the complaints, but he was cut short by Raven before he could give an audible protest. "Get out of the way," Raven told him. When he didn't move, Raven said, "Get out of the way, you're taking too long."_

"_Well, what are YOU going to do, try to pick the locks?"_

_The thief wasn't even warned about the coming attack—he didn't even see Raven take one of Geitz' axes and pull it up to the air, directed towards him. But Matthew, as if led by intuition, managed to fluidly get up and get out of the way, as Raven struck the axe against the door. Matthew just blinked—that was certainly another way to get through it. "Great idea," the thief whispered, softly enough so only he would hear, "Lord Raymond."_

The group I was with pressed on—the snow has quieted a bit, moving and seeing became easier. We easily passed into a clearing—one of the many courtyards—and the quiet snow's advantage was just the same for the enemy. When we entered the clearing, a few enemies were waiting for us there—mostly swordsmen who were quick with their feet. There weren't any horsemen outside in the snow—the enemy had the same idea as I did—and the archers were few, if not inexistent. Heath was right about them.

"Do you think that bishop-boss-guy is there with them? Can you see him?" Lord Hector asked, leaning against Hyperion's scales as he whispered. "We've gotta deal with the one who has the power over the magic barrier. If we do that, we can run."

I squinted, trying to examine the enemies in the distance, constantly revealed by little quiets in the snow storm. "I wouldn't think he's here… he should be inside the main castle, I doubt that he'd charge at us like this." He would have to know better than to chare openly with the others. He was smart enough to trap us in here, so he'd know better.

The snow suddenly stopped and cleared, and the winds turned quiet. And then the enemies were there in front of us, as plain as day. They took the initiative and ran towards us first. Lord Hector pulled away from me and Heath, and yelled a big battle cry, and our own group ran to meet the enemies.

"Are you sure can fight with me right here behind you?" I whispered to Heath, as he pulled one of his better lances into his hand and adjusted his seating on Hyperion's back. Hyperion waved his tail to one side, and then the other, impatient for battle.

Heath smiled a bit. "Are _you _sure you want to be there when I fly in and fight? Will you be comfortable, Kumi? Aren't you scared?"

"I'm Bernese; I can handle a bit of a wyvern fight," I told him.

"Then, hold on tight!"

_Lord Hector immediately felled an enemy swordsman without difficulty, earning no protest from the swordsman but a chink in his tough armor. How does he do that, Guy thought, axes are supposed to be horrible against swords._

_That was Guy's last random thought—the next thing he knew was that he whirled around, Killing Edge ready in hand, and was face-to-face with an enemy swordsman with oddly long hair. Oh, but yet again another random thought—how long did it take for him to grow that thing, Guy wondered, it's as long as my father's._

_But that was—truly and finally—his last random thought. The long-haired enemy started to attack him—he was as fast as lightning!—and it took Guy everything to evade. He didn't even completely evade—his shirt sleeve suffered a cut, showing how if he moved a bit slower, he would have lost his arm._

_Guy was taken aback, surprised by the speed of the enemy. They're not usually that fast, even Black Fang! And his sword… the way its blade glints shows how sharp it is. He could slice me in half!_

_That was an awful thought, because Guy felt himself shudder, his knees turn a bit weak. But in an instant he recovered, and steadied himself. He could slice me in half… if I let him! And by Mother Earth and Father Sky—I won't!_

"Ahhh! Heath! Heath! Heath! Watch out!"

If I told Heath that I was fine and that I could handle a wyvern fight… I was wrong.

I thought it was just like fighting while on a horse—and I've been behind Sain while he fought a lot of times, way back then—but it was _nothing _like that. For one, you're in mid-air, not on a beast running on the ground. And the speed of the wyverns! They swoop down towards ground enemies at incredible speed when they attack, I would probably fall off Hyperion if I didn't hold onto Heath like my life was on the line.

Which was probably the problem. "Kumiko, calm down!" Heath reminded me for the umpteenth time, as I pulled my arms around his mid-section tightly. Hyperion was zooming toward an enemy wyvern rider, which was gladly one of only few, but Heath hasn't even had his lance readied properly yet. "…I can't… breathe!" Heath huffed out.

I was surprised, and I instantly loosened my hold on his mid-section. But then the next thing we knew was that it was the enemy rider who was flying towards us at incredible speed, lance in hand, ready to strike…

"Watch out!" I yelled as I closed my eyes, and I felt Heath flinch. I must have yelled right into his ear.

A loud, violent neigh followed. I opened my eyes, and was surprised to see Farina right between us and the enemy, quickly dealing a deathblow to the enemy rider. He fell to the ground along with his mount—and Farina then turned to face us.

"…Thank you…" Heath said, his words not quite ending. It sounded as if he wanted to thank Farina by name, only he didn't know her name yet.

"No problem," Farina said, dismissively. But then she added, "You should put her down, you know."

What? "There are less enemies up here," Heath told her. What? What did Farina mean?

"It's harder to move when there's more weight to be carried," Farina said, sounding technical. "She may be safer, but what about you?"

"I can handle it, thanks for helping out," was all Heath said, and then Farina went a different direction.

_Legault ran in the snow, the surroundings surprisingly clear of enemies. He checked left and right, behind him and toward him, but the path was still clear. Kumiko was right—Even Black Fang wouldn't brave such absurd weather. Not only were arrows useless in this situation… it was a whole lot harder to move, harder to see. Only the insane would brave this weather._

_Not saying they were insane… Desperate, maybe, but not yet insane. Not like Nergal…_

_Legault continued running in the snow, the solitude making him recall things dead past. The old Fang. His old work. Killing people who were supposed to be his friends._

"…_If I had known you earlier? I would have never left a beauty like you alone."_

_Legault turned a sharp halt, as if he just heard someone call his name. Why did he have to remember all of a sudden? He was thinking of Black Fang! The organization had nothing to do with a certain female knight, nothing at all._

_Isadora held him in good regard, respected him, even calls him "Master Legault". She's keen and curious and eager to listen to him, but she's not naïve and innocent. Alright, only a little. She should have known that lingering a little longer around him would cause a serious problem—at least on his half. It was bad enough when he realized that he was thinking a little too much about her, and worse when he confirmed the thing about the fiancée. And that that fiancée was currently in Black Fang garbs—Legault didn't know why, he didn't know the man, just saw him… It was depressing. That fiancée-He was right there before her and he still chose to leave her!_

_If I were him, I would have never left her alone. If I met her earlier, I would have left Fang, for all I knew._

_But then Legault just shook his head, forcing himself to remember that a battle was going on. He picked up his feet and ran again, soundlessly._

Guy knew that he was not facing an ordinary swordsman. For all he knew, he was facing a god.

The Sacaean myrmidon clutched his sides, trying to press at the sword wound the godlike enemy had given him. His hand was soaked red with his blood, his wound still dripping, his clothes soaked. The enemy—the enemy!—was probably going to end up killing him and he knew it. Unless someone saved him.

…But oddly he did not want to be saved. He was having the fight of his life—a fight with the god of swords—and he was not going to let anyone ruin it. Besides, he wasn't about to die yet. _This is just a flesh wound, I can deal with this, I can take it—_

He flinched in pain when his wound stung. _Okay, it hurts a bit. But just a bit._

The god's sword suddenly went for him, for his head, and Guy was slower to react, but he managed to jump out of harm's way, rolling in the white snow, his blood painting it red. He wouldn't let go of his wound—or else it'd bleed horribly—but he managed to quickly grab his Killing Edge and get to his feet, though he felt his knees about to give away. He blindly thrust his sword toward the enemy, but it was easily evaded.

Guy's knees were giving up. He pushed his hand deeper to his wound, as if willing it to stop bleeding. A faint haze clouded his mind—he was too tired, too tired to fight. _My knees… my legs… I can't feel them anymore. It's the cold. It's the snow. The stupid snow. It never snows in Sacae._ His feet took a few steps backward, his back hitting a cold stone wall.

…_I'm not used to this weather. It never snows in Sacae. In… Sacae… Yes… My father. He's going to laugh a bit if he finds out I died trying to be a swordsman. He'll say I should have stuck to bows and horses. He'll tell my dead body, "That's what you get, Guy, for running away and trying to follow your dreams"._

The god of swords was still standing before him, staring at him. _He's too good, even for a Black Fang_, Guy thought. He can't be Black Fang. _He has to be a god—yeah, that's what those people with the monasteries call them. Gods. But he's…_

His dark eyes were almost glowing red, his long, long dark hair flying out in the snowy gusts. He was scowling, as if displeased. He was… so scary. Guy expected him to have fangs behind his lips. _He can't be a god. Gods aren't supposed to be scary and bad, right?_ At least that was what Lucius told him. _Gods were supposed to be kind. …He's no god, he's… a demon._

"I can't find Guy!" I screamed, and by the way Heath's body jerked again, I think I screamed that right into his eardrums. Hyperion prowled on the snowy field, his long neck craning to see through the thick gust—I made out Lord Hector. I think I could make out Lucius and the rest. But Guy… where in the world was that swordsman? If he got isolated and dead… "Can't Hyperion make out his scent or something?"

"Hyperion's not exactly a sniffing dog." It could have been a joke, but Heath's voice didn't have that tone. He must be tired.

"…Sorry," I whispered, and whether Heath heard it or not, he didn't say. "…Let's try going that direction," I suggested, pointing at the space I last saw Lord Hector. The snow gusts thickened again—it was hard to see much.

But then Hyperion let out a shriek, and he quickly turned around—and there he was, an enemy, with dark garbs, undoubtedly Black Fang, sword and shield in hand. From the looks of it, he was a strong one—a war hero of some sort, maybe. Heath let out an irritated click of his tongue—he certainly didn't detect that an enemy had been behind us. The man had his sword raised—he charged at us, his form perfect, aiming right for Heath. He was quick—there wasn't much time for reaction. Heath quickly pulled on Hyperion's reins, and we would have set off to flight—if the man hadn't grabbed me by my ankle.

I screamed, and Hyperion, just about to take off, fiercely turned to the direction of the enemy with his teeth, scaring him off. But the man wasn't deterred—he clung to my ankle like it was a lifeline. Hyperion flew higher, higher, higher into the air, waiting for the man to let go and fall down. His shield he dropped, but he kept one hand on his sword and the other at my ankle. He was dragging me down, I swear he was going to pull off my leg, and I wrapped my arms around Heath tightly that he could have choked.

"Heath! It hurts!" I yelled, in pain, as the man gripped tighter on my ankle in a way that made me know that he was intent on crushing my bones.

Heath tried to thrust a lance at the man, but it was difficult. He couldn't let go of Hyperion—if he let go, we would pull him down with our weight, and all three of us—Heath, me, the enemy—could fall down. Heath couldn't aim well under the circumstances—the shaky flight of Hyperion, my tight grip on him.

To make things worse, the enemy, while caught in mid-air, still waved his sword around, attacking Hyperion with a slice to the beast's belly. The wyvern let out a great shriek of pain, and I felt Heath wince, as if he were the one cut up.

He pushed Hyperion harder, though, as he pointed to a tower roof that came into view. "Hyperion!" Heath yelled, as he kicked on the wyvern's sides, and the wyvern came gliding towards the tower top at incredible speed. "Hold tight, Kumiko!" Heath told me, so I did, and the man at my ankle did.

Hyperion flew to the tower roof, in such speed and angle that the man at my ankle hit himself against the tower wall, but we didn't. The enemy eventually let go, tortured by how Hyperion trashed him about the stone structure. He fell, maybe to his death.

When he did, Hyperion rest on the roof, moaning in agony. Heath immediately checked his wound. "Not that bad…" Heath said.

The gash was big, though not that deep, but it was bleeding continuously. "You call that 'not bad'?" I reacted.

"I mean, it's not just bad. It's awful," he said. I didn't understand if that was Heath's weird sense of humor, or if he was serious. He went to his pack and took out a vulnerary, and poured the entire thing to his mount's wound. Hyperion moaned again.

The wound wouldn't stop bleeding. "It's too big for a vulnerary. We need to see a healer," I told Heath.

"…I know. But how are we going to find one? We'll still need to fly if we want to find a healer," Heath said. He was talking the harsh truth, and he looked saddened by it. "Sorry, Hyperion, pal. I need to push you a bit more."

Hyperion pulled his head up and nodded, as if he understood.

Guy felt as if he was turning into a puddle, since he was sinking to the snow, slowly. He tried to lean against the wall, tried to look at the enemy again—he was still staring! The demon still stared. He did not move, though, he only watched. As if Guy was not worth fighting anymore. _Even a demon would spare me mercy because I'm so pathetic._

That seem to do the trick—Guy was not dying and receiving mercy from a demon. Guy pulled himself up, leaning against the wall, using it for support. He let go of his bleeding wound and held tightly to his sword and ran towards the demon, not minding that it was another blind attack. All that mattered was that he attacked. That he was not receiving pity from evil incarnate.

As he expected, the devil evaded him—and lunged a sword through his shoulder, all the way through. Guy felt the sword's hilt next to his flesh, and he flinched at the pain, but he managed to grab onto the hilt, to the man holding the sword that was currently through him. _I am not receiving mercy from a demon…_

"You're stubborn." _Ah! The demon could speak!_ Even his voice was scary—mysterious and authoritative. "You should have stayed there and let me leave you alone. You might have lived."

Guy just had to say something in return. "I'm not… receiving mercy… from… anyone…" His breathing came in spurts now, his eyelids heavy. _It's the cold. It's the snow, the darn snow._

The demon pulled his sword from his flesh in one motion—and Guy couldn't no longer keep up. He fell to the snow-covered ground, snow colored red with his blood. _It's the snow. I can't fight in the snow. I'm freezing…_

His eyelids were dropping dangerously. But he still saw a shadow before him, the demon had walked to him. "You're reckless. You've no care for your life at all. All that matters is you learn, your honor as a swordsman," the demon said. _Was he analyzing Guy_? "You've no caution. That's good—caution is what stops man from achieving strength. I wonder—would you be better than me if you learned and gained more experience?"

_Yeah, I'll be better. I'll be better, I swear_, Guy thought. But then his eyelids dropped over his eyes and he drifted into the darkness.

"Hyperion…" I still couldn't stop it. The wyvern was shrieking in pain as it flied and flied—unevenly now, uneasily now. The aerial ride was bumpy, with Hyperion succumbing to pain and nearly falling to the ground, only to gain determination again when Heath pulls on his reins, making him heighten from the ground again.

Blood was still dripping from the creature's belly, though, and I'm sure there must be someone from below who was wondering why it was raining blood from the skies.

"Hyperion, pal, endure it a bit longer…" Heath said soothingly to his mount, stroking its scaly neck, but he wasn't fooling me. It was cold and snowing but his face was sweating in worry. "We can't stop here, the enemies will feast on us. It's better to find Priscilla—you like Priscilla, don't you? Please, keep it up until we find her."

Hyperion gave a weak grunt and grumble, as if he could understand Heath, as if he was complaining, the way he does when he's had too much to eat, his belly too heavy after raiding Merlinus' stocks.

…Wait a second… _too heavy_…

"Heath, put me down," I said, suddenly, an order. The rooftop of one of the main castle buildings—I couldn't be sure what it with all the snow in the air—came into sight, and I absently pointed towards it. "Place me there, Heath. Quick."

He looked puzzled, but we glided towards that direction. Heath knew all about taking orders. "But… _why_?_" _He still asked. "On the roof? What's there, Kumi?"

Hyperion perched on the rooftop, the black baked tiles protesting underneath his claws. His wound continued to trickle blood. I jumped off the mount and climbed to the peak of the roof, using the tiles to grab hold, and Heath helped me up as well. I balanced myself and looked at the surroundings—when the gust cleared a bit, I saw the estate all too well—the towers, all the structures, and the people fighting below, against the white snow.

I turned to Heath and blinked at him. "What are you waiting for? Go. Get someone to heal Hyperion, quick!"

"But… you're undefended here—"

"I won't ask you to do it without logical reason!" I snapped at him. "I know what I'm doing. Now go, Heath! And when Hyperion is fine, come back for me."

I watched Hyperion and Heath fly away, and I couldn't help but feel bad for lying to Heath. He was a nice guy who knew all about following orders—he didn't deserve that. The only reason I asked him to put me down was because I figured I was too much weight to Hyperion—he was wounded, he couldn't take the extra baggage. And now that I thought that way, I was probably the reason he was wounded, too. Heath and his mount's speed and dexterity in battle would be drastically decreased when there's someone sitting with them to mind. I didn't want to be dead weight. I didn't want Heath to lose his mount because of me.

I tried to keep my balance on the roof, and I watched everything that happened below between the snow gusts. Lord Hector was doing well… Farina was extremely ferocious in a fight—much more aggressive than her sisters—and… who was that carrying Guy to Serra? He's not… He's not one of us.

But then I turned around to another direction, and right below the building, I saw a group of archers with their longbows running into the clearing. Oh, gods, no! They might run into Farina or Heath, or anyone! I nearly screamed a warning, but I knew I couldn't be heard anyway.

But, then I nearly slipped, momentarily losing my balance. I recovered, but the old baked tiles of the castle roof protested and gave up—a tile came sliding down the roof, down to the snow.

Down near the archers right below. As if I called their names, they all looked up and found me, and readied their arrows.

His view of an enemy about to throw his javelin straight at the femal paladin was absolutely clear. The enemy was hidden behind some snow-laden foliage, but his sharp eyes could see him all too well. And he also knew, all too well, that he wouldn't make it, even if he forced his legs to run at full speed.

_It's the snow. Ah, damn the snow. I can't run. I can't—_

As he saw the javelin fly in the air, all Legault could do was scream. "Isadora!"

Isadora was alarmed, quickly turning around in her mount to see the incoming danger. She pulled on her horse's reins to make the beast evade, but the horse, panicked, couldn't move quickly enough. Death was there before her, in the form of a thrown lance. She gasped and defensively crossed her arms to her face—

And that was when a flash of a dark cloak came, running in front of her, shielding her from the attack with his body. Isadora gasped again—who would take a lance thrown at her and take it for himself? Who cared that much for her? For a second she thought it was Legault—but then wind blew the cloak's dark hood away from the man's face, and then she was certain he was not Legault at all. She was greeted by blonde hair from behind that hood. The man groaned and grumbled as he pulled the javelin point from his shoulder—his voice was deep. Not Legault at all.

A name suddenly sprang to Isadora's mind. "…Harken?"

The man stiffened, as if she spoke something wrong. And then he ran.

And when he did, the wind blew his dark robes about, revealing his face and his figure better. And Isadora realized that he was, indeed, the man she spoke of. "You! You're Harken! Please don't run away!" She jumped down from her horse, to run after him.

"Harken! Don't—oh!—Don't leave me!"

Suddenly, Legault was by her side. She was surprised, though she should be used by now—the thief had a knack for appearing out of nowhere. "You know that man?" Legault asked.

"Yes! He's my fiancé—I'm sure of it!"

"…But why is he running away?"

"I don't know!"

Legault looked at Harken's image, receding into the snow. _Not a fast runner… I can surely get to him, even in this snow…_

"…If a woman like you ever called out to me like that, I wouldn't even dream of running away," Legault said, teasing again, Isadora thought. But the playful tone in his voice wasn't there. "Let me go get him for you." _Someone needs to teach him some manners._

The archers readied their bows, their aim straight at me. I think I yelled, but the sound was lost in the snow gust anyway, as I ran on the roof, arrows landing a foot behind me, the tiles of the roof protesting and falling down. I was miraculously keeping my balance as I ran—

And then I eventually fell, sliding down the roof, my hand holding on just in time two its edge before I could fall to the ground. I winced when I saw and felt more arrows passing by me, missing me. The wind was helping me, changing the directions of the arrows.

"Oh no oh no oh no…" I said, when I looked down—I was so high up, at the roof of a four-floor structure—and my arms began to hurt. And then I shrieked when an arrow nearly hit my hands, holding me up—that was too close! Too close!

"KUMIKO!" Suddenly there was a collective yell of my name, and I made out one of the voices—it would always be easy for me to point out Matt's voice, even in that weather. I dared to look down—and I saw him, with Lord Pent and Lady Louise and Dorcas and Lyn.

"Help me, Matt!" I yelled, as they attacked the archer brigade on the ground. I knew they did—I could hear the sounds, but I didn't look down anymore. I was putting all my concentration on holding myself up. "It hurts! I can't hold on any longer!"

"Maybe we could try to catch you! Wait until we deal with this…" Matt. I didn't have to look down to know it was him.

I closed my eyes, and held on, but as quickly as that, I heard Lyn say, "Oh no."

That was when I opened my eyes and saw more enemies headed towards them—coming out from the very structure I was on, as if waking up from a deep slumber. They poured out of the doors and jumped out of the first floor windows, all armed with their swords and axes and bows. "Someone get the others—Hector, Eliwood, anyone!" Lyn commanded.

Heads turned to Matthew—they knew he was the one who could get that job done quickly. "Aren't Florina and Fiora already at it?" Matt told Lyn. "And you need all the hands you could have here—and, Kumiko!"

"Help me!" was my response.

Dorcas and Lord Pent were already attacking—I couldn't just jump down anymore, I'd end up falling on some enemy and possibly dying.

But then Matt suddenly screamed, "The window!"

"W-What…?" I began to asked, but then I looked by my feet and found a glass window, leading into the structure. It was shut close, though—no opening, and it looked thick. "Kick it open!" Matt yelled.

"It's too thick!"

And after I said that, a quick silver arrow sped by, hitting the window at the center of its glass, piercing through it and creating a crack. I looked down and saw that Lady Louise had fired the shot, and before I could thank her, she turned back to assisting Dorcas and Lady Lyn and Lord Pent and Matt.

I put my feet up against the wall, closed my eyes and swung myself into the window, feet first.

I rubbed my eyes open, and flinched when I felt pain in my arms and legs. I looked at them and—my God!—shattered glass pieces, three of them, were stuck in my flesh, making red blood ooze out. Oh no, oh no, oh no… Not only have I had an arrow stuck in me once, now I have _glass_.

I closed my eyes and pulled the stained glass out, very quickly, one by one, all three of them. The open wounds stung and bled and bled—and I very nearly emptied my stomach at the smell of the blood. It smelled awful, so strongly, I could nearly taste it in my mouth!

"Oooh, darn it," I muttered, when I moved an arm and felt something obviously wrong with it—there was something that felt sharp inside. There were bits of glass inside my wound, and I knew it. But how to take it out…

And then the room door suddenly flung open, and an enemy was there, sword in the air. I was cornered in the room. There was absolutely nowhere to run.

I think I yelled, and I held my hands up in defense, and the mere action made my arms ache with sharp, stinging pains. I backed away towards the window I crashed into—it was the only way out.

And then the sound of shattered glass came again, and a gust of wind, from behind me. It jerked me and startled me, and the next thing I saw was a dash of red and sand-brown. Matt. He quickly dealt with the enemy in the room, throwing a small silver dagger to it. The man fell to the ground.

I realized I was holding my breath, so I let it go, and turned to Matt. "Matt! How'd you—"

"Jumped in from a Pegasus," he answered, shortly. He was checking his arms for scratches or glass—none. I pouted.

"That's not fair," I said.

He was about to ask what I meant, until he looked up to me and saw my bloodied arms and thighs. "Why do I get all scraped up and then you get away with nothing?" I asked him.

"…You're not wearing a cloak," he said, as he came closer to inspect me. "And you're wearing a short skirt."

He looked over at me and examined the scratches and small cuts, deliberating silently to himself if they were dangerous. I was about to tell him that it seems like I've got glass stuck inside me, but he suddenly chuckled.

"What?" I asked.

"…You amaze me, Kumi," Matt answered, with a grin. "How many times have you escaped death today? Or, in your whole life? You didn't die by falling off the roof, by barging into a glass window, by an arrow shot, by falling off a wyvern? What in the world are you _made of_?"

I pouted as he helped himself and laughed. "It's not my time yet," I told him, seriously, but he wouldn't stop laughing. "I have to see this whole ordeal with Nergal to the end before I die first."

He suddenly fell silent, looking over at my wounds again. None of them were too big to worry about, apart from the fact that I _do _think I have glass inside me. But I didn't want to say it—not yet. He'd probably advise me to get a surgeon—Legault—to pull the tiny glass shards out. I wasn't keen on the idea of Legault invading my flesh just yet.

"…I gave you a dagger, right?" Matt suddenly said.

I was surprised at why he asked that. "Yes," I told him, patting my pouch, where I kept it.

"When you're cornered and you have nowhere to run, you're supposed to pull it out and use it. If you're quick enough with it you can kill a man before he kills you." His tone was grave.

My face fell. "Easy for you to say! Matt, I can't kill a man!"

"So you'd rather die?" He didn't raise his voice, but there was an edge in his tone. "Kumi, you've given us orders right from the beginning—and we've killed on behalf of those orders. What difference does it make when you're the one holding the blade?"

I was so stunned that everything else was practically drowned and lost in the back of my mind—the battle, the noises, the sounds of fighting, the cold. All I saw was this person I cared for, telling me to be a murderer. I backed away from him. "I-I can't believe you said that!"

He studied my stunned expression for a while, and then looked thoughtful. "I'm sorry. I forgot who I was talking to. I guess that was sort of inappropriate."

That edge in his voice was still there, and I figured there was something wrong with him. "What's wrong with you, Matt? You're not like this!"

He was silent, but only for a while. He answered eventually. "It's just that when you were… I just remembered… I hope you forgive me for saying this, Kumi, but… Damn it," he said, gaze at the ground. He looked frustrated and embarrassed at the same time. "Damn. I would have never forgiven you—and myself—if you fell off the roof and died."

I was surprised by this Matt that I was seeing—rarely is Matt ever really serious, frustrated, and embarrassed at the same time. "I told you before," he said. "My sister died falling off the roof. I remembered. If you—you!—died that way too, I don't think I'll ever be able to move on, with you and Leila and my sister gone."

So that was it. "Matt, I won't die that easily." I had Sain's lucky statuette and a pouch filled with other lucky things, if he wanted proof.

It seemed he didn't believe me, or didn't even hear me. "What a man I am," he said, as if to the air. "Every girl I love ends up getting her life in danger."

I smiled. "You're a spy of Ostia. It's natural that every…" _every girl he loved…? _"…_everyone you know_ is put in danger." I said, after considering his wording. Was he saying—no, no, no, it's just the way Matt words things, it doesn't mean anything special. "And besides," I said, lighting up, trying to tease instead "I won't let my life be monopolized by your love for me."

His eyes flickered in a display of surprise, but then he recovered and smirked. "Of course. You're immune to all effects of love. Maybe you're numb to it, too. You can't even tell when someone is head over heels in-love with you."

"I can!" I said, indignantly.

"Can't," he snapped back, with a smirk, and I knew the Matthew we all knew was back. He headed out the room, and I ran after him, temporarily forgetting the battlefield, recalling what it was to run in Castle Regrada's rooms while chasing a playmate.

Matt and I ran around the interiors of the building—the main castle, I realized when I recognized the interiors—and we, or Matt, to be more precise, had to deal with a few enemies before we eventually got to the ground floor. By then the noises of battle were slowly dying down—someone was winning, and I hoped it was us.

It was us, apparently, when we stepped into the main hall and saw all the bodies on the floor. Black Fang. None of them any of us—that was good. I still had those familiar nerves run through me, when I walk through all those dead, creeped out at the fact that we end so many lives, and nervous that someone I know might be there on the ground.

There were noises coming from the throne room, but there didn't seem to be any fighting. I hurried to that direction, anyway, Matt close at my heels. I found Legault with Lyn and Lord Hector, among others, on their knees, searching the floor, the dead bodies, the statues and furniture. Looking for the Fire Emblem.

"Work's done already," Lord Hector said when he saw us. "Where have you been?"

I didn't answer. Matt started helping the others in the search. I walked into the room, but then I stopped when I saw that one man there, on the floor, was that bishop. The one who cast the barrier spell. He was perfectly still, his eyes open in death. It unnerved me.

And then his eyes stirred, and actually met mine. He was alive still. But he was dying—there was an undeniable pool of red around him. I was unnerved, knowing that soon I would be staring at the eyes of a dead man, but he narrowed his eyes as if trying to see me clearly. "You…" he whispered.

I said nothing. Legault saw this, and held onto me protectively. Kenneth chuckled a bit, chuckling out red blood. "You…" he said, "You mock me. Even in death. You were watching all along, weren't you…"

I was puzzled now. I knew he was mad before, and now I knew he was _really _mad. Insane. But then the next word on his lip nearly made me jump out of my skin.

"…Genevieve," he whispered. It was the last word he ever spoke.

Legault must have read my horrified expression, because he suddenly spoke from behind me. "That was a compliment," Legault told me.

A… compliment? How can that be a compliment? He knew who I was! "But he doesn't know about the royalties of Regrada," Legault said, trying to comfort me. "I knew Regrada had a daughter—but I didn't know it was you, until you hinted on it at Liestal. He couldn't possibly know that you were _that _Genevieve."

My knees were giving up, and it wasn't because I had wounds, it was as if they were trying to tell me that something vital just happened. "…Then what do you mean when you tell me that it's a compliment?" I asked Legault.

"He was comparing you to the patron goddess," Legault answered, patiently. "Maybe you looked like her. I wouldn't know, but maybe he did. He was a holy man, wasn't he?"

Right. The patron goddess of Regrada was named Genevieve. Someone told me that just recently, but I can't remember who. "She cries, like, forever," I told Legault. "It can't be a compliment to be compared to a woman whose tears cause the snow."

Legault looked down at me gravely, as if he thought I was seriously mad. "Kumiko," he said, "I can't believe I know this and you don't. You're Bernese, right? And a tactician. And I thought you were reading that book. You should have known that the patron goddess of Regrada is the goddess of War. She's supposedly beautiful and brilliant at tactics, so I guess he was complimenting you."

Something should have clicked in my head, but nothing did. I felt that something was missing, that I was forgetting something important. "She is?" I just told Legault. "I never knew that."

Legault suddenly smirked, and I knew by that that he was about to tease me. "Aww, poor dead man, he must have thought he was dying and was being judged by the goddess that he forsook. How's that, Kumi? You supposedly look like a goddess."

"Oh, shut up, Legault."

_In a warm log cottage in the middle of the snow fields of Regrada, a woman smiled, and turned down the black bishop on her chess set._

"_It is done," she said, as if to herself. "Good girl. I was not wrong to favor her."_

_The other person in the room—a man—was keen enough to hear it, though. "What girl? Are you playing favorites now, Genevieve? Have you actually given someone your blessing? But, woman, a reminder—your blessing comes with a curse. That girl will cry."_

_She chuckled, and then rolled her eyes. "Oh, look at you, preaching about playing favorites. You have one, too, right? Poor boy. Blessed with all the power in the continent, all the genius in strategy, but never will he look at a woman twice. A woman will be his downfall."_

_He groaned. "He will be wiser and know not to get too close to any woman. He can live with it. Better than being sealed to a fate which involves a lot of crying."_

_Again, she rolled her eyes. And then she said, "A man causes women to cry—but a woman can cause a man to fall to his ruin. Which is better, my lord?"_

_And he groaned again. "Well, we both know how that went for us. But… I wonder how it will go for your little girl and for my boy? Who would triumph if ever they meet?"_

**End of Chapter.**

**NOTICE: KumixErk angst scene shall be included NEXT chapter. Sorry, guys. I decided to do this one for the Kumi-Matt readers.**

**Author's Notes:**

**The last update was December… (groan) I had a lot of stuff to do, and lots of real life interruptions, so I'm sorry. FINAL EXAMS, FINAL PROJECTS, SUMMER CLASSES (gasp!), SUMMER VACATION, COSPLAY… and I got a task as Set-up and Design Head for this big project we had, which is basically hosting and creating an event/party out of scratch. LOTS OF WORK. I wasn't pretty excited about this chapter either. Again, it seems like I'm losing motivation. NOOOOO. MOTIVATE ME, PPL. Send me cookies.**

**Speaking of cosplay… (to sidetrack you all) since my brother and I have officially become cosplayers this May, we've had this idea of cosplaying Nino and Erk in Sage outfits. I'll probably do the Nino Sage outfit I have posted on DeviantArt. YES I CAN'T WAIT.**

**I tried to cover up the lack of battle scenes by putting in more talking and stuff and more Matt-Kumi. I hope no one really noticed. T.T I couldn't come up with anything better than this anymore. I didn't want to keep you all waiting another month.**

**Readers… I hope you're still alive.**

Matt-Kumi for the followers out there who still prefer it. (I thought DarkBlaziken was the last one standing… but they all rose again and made themselves felt! Now I realize there's still a lot of them.)

In this story, if anyone has guessed, Legault is from Regrada. I don't think the game mentions his nationality, but if he's part of the original Fang, the chances are he's also Bernese.

Jenro, Miguel, and Knarrd actually belong to my brother. I don't know their characteristics completely because I'm not their owner, so I failed to tinker with them.

I appear to make Heath more of a genius than he really is. But I figure he has more field experience as an ex-soldier (…_**Cloud**_?) compared to Kumi. Heath is pretty generic as a character in FE, aside from the points that he has awesome loyalty to who he chooses and that he's stuck up and traditional and all that. And honor. Yeah, honor. He's a traditional knight in ways. I decided he'd stick around to give Kumi a helping hand once in a while.

**Again, pardon the legends of gods and goddesses story stuff. This is the last time it's going to be mentioned**, because I don't see its significance for future chapters, and they're really just preludes to _Bern_, the sequel to this. I hope that all the legends clear themselves up with the stuff I put in this chapter. I'm not sure I'm good at dropping hints. (If you didn't understand, please ask me.) This is the last time, as I said, that the legends are going to become prevalent in this fic. If I continued on with them, that would be pushing it—this shall become a fantasy story or something, har har. Honestly they were just essentials to my FE6 fic (And there are people like **Naryfiel Lilith** who actually want to read more about it…). I hope no one got annoyed. THS IS TH LST TME PPL. I WL NT DO IT AGN PRMSE.

**Note to People:**

**DarkBlaziken: **Yeah, books never die, I'm quite a reading fan myself. I'm glad and it touches me that _The Journey_ has been an experience we _both_ grew up with—because I certainly grew up with this fic, too. Imagine, three years? That's a long while, and I'm glad you were there with me three years ago, and hopefully you'll stick around. Sorry I took so long to update this time. I knew you were getting impatient, because you even commented on my dA. ^^

**Naryfiel Lilith,** I hope you were satisfied by the how I elaborated on the legends and all that here. WAIT NEXT CHAPTER ZEPHIEL SHALL APPEAR. XDDD (And do your best not to get caught by your teacher if ever you decide to read this in your English class again. ^^)

To deviantart's **Cattsuki**, if you're reading this, make yourself felt! I don't know your username. :(

**Sorenfangirl04: WHAT? **I STILL updated before you did? I'm not sure you're reading this anymore, but, your Soren fic! weeps Why is it that when I have my watch on a good fic, the author ends up _not_ finishing it most of the time? I understand it's hard to find time… (because, as I just experienced, sometimes you just _can't…) _but if you've got readers who want more, why not continue?

Again, (she's probably getting sick of this) all my love to **Angie**, who had the patience to script the entire game for me! ^^ I should probably reward her with some KentLyn. I've been thinking of that for days now.

**Scorch the Hedgehog** refers to Hector's bunch as Hector's Hordes. ^^ I just thought I'd share. And I share in the sentiments, Scorh—I didn't, don't, want to kill Lloyd or Linus. But it'd be taking too much artistic liberty to let them live—this is still a novelization that has to stick with the general story in the game.

I often say Hector's Hoodlums, but do any of you guys have a name for Hector's group? Hmm, this should probably go to the forums.

**Elficiel**'s last review really touches me and makes me a bit teary sometimes. Gah, I'm such a softie. It's true, what Elficiel said—Blazing Sword is basically already and old game, but it touches me how I can still meet fans of the game through this fic. You guys are all awesome.

Shout outs to everyone else who reviewed/read the last chapter. Special mentions to Rini Tsukino, Elppaenip, Whitzwolf, Terran 34, Leaf-drifting-on-wind, an anon reviewer Sirdare, and Commandant at Heart.

I'll probably update sooner for the next chapter, because OMG ZEPHIEL.

Ppl, please review so I know that you guys are still alive and waiting for the next chapter. (-.-;) If I have no more readers… no point continuing, really. That's the sad truth.

-kageshoujo


	33. Chapter 26 Part ONE YEY

Eliwood's Story, Chapter 26 Part 1-

_Two assassins in the employ of the Black Fang move in. They've been set loose in the palace to murder the crown prince, Zephiel. We hurry to prevent them from fulfilling their contract._

The Fire Emblem had certainly been eluding us. We've been looking for it for a while, and no luck so far. It wasn't in the rooms, in the cabinets, in the secret compartment in the throne. That was when, finally, we resorted to the slightly disgusting—looking through the dead.

"Everyone is being driven mad by Nergal..." Lord Eliwood said as we looked, while slowly shaking his head. Of course, I thought. Everyone was going mad, Nergal himself is mad.

"It must be terrifying, to lose yourself entirely...To fall completely under the sway of Nergal's power..." Lyn mused. I shuddered. The thought of losing myself entirely—going mad—was far too saddening. I know it happens—we've seen it happen to Nergal's followers—and I know that it's not just Nergal. It happens with power. It happens in political power, in financial power—you can lose yourself completely to power. It happens in magic power. I know it happens—Knarrd of the Tactician Guild is a shaman, and even if he's more tolerant and patient than the normal man, we have seen him act outside reason. The price of power, he says.

The price of power—treating Nergal as your personal god.

" ...Hey!" Legault exclaimed, as he found something in Kenneth's robes. He held it out—a blue gemstone, blue like the skies, diamond cut. "What could this be?"

Its color was the iciest blue, but in the back of our minds, we knew what it could be. "...The Fire Emblem?" Lord Eliwood said, uncertainly.

"…But it's… blue," Lyn said. "I knew the emblem was a gemstone, but I imagined it would be red or orange… it is called the Fire Emblem, after all."

"…But I can't shake the feeling that it is the Emblem. As if it's announcing itself," I told Lyn. I don't know why, but the stone had some sort of… presence. I know it sounds weird for me to say that, but it's as if the stone is saying, "I am the Fire Emblem, Bern's most prized item."

Lord Eliwood and Hector curiously looked on, (and Lord Hector was probably thinking, 'ah, these odd Bernese, with their odd magical stones',) and then Legault just blinked, and said, "It's the Fire Emblem."

"…How can you be sure?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"I just am," Legault said, suddenly tossing the stone to the air. Why did he-?

I immediately lunged after the stone, before the thing could fall to the ground and shatter. And the second it made contact with my skin, I knew it was the Fire Emblem. It was warm to the touch, almost alive. Warm enough to make your skin react, but not to the point that it scorches it. And it… it's weird, but I really feel it telling me that it's the Emblem. "It's the Fire Emblem," I said, now without question. "It's… magical. It's almost alive."

"I don't know about 'magical' and a stone being alive, but… Let's take it and go!" Lord Hector concluded. "There's no reason for us to stay any longer!"

There was a collective of nods, and Lord Eliwood said, "Let's make haste for the manse! We must stop the assassination! We cannot let the prince's life be put in jeopardy!"

o0o0o0o0o

"I'll hold onto that," Lord Hector told me, palm open, waiting for the Fire Emblem. "If you hold onto it, you'll probably lose it or drop it or get it stolen."

I should have been offended, but he was probably right. "Here you go," I said, carefully dropping the gemstone in his hand.

But all my careful efforts were worth nothing when Lord Hector suddenly jerked up, tossing the stone in the air, then yelling about while clutching his hand. "By the gods! That damn hurts! It's scorching! It's _hot!_"

We turned to the stone, rolling on its sides on the floor, its color remarkably shifting into the fiercest red, as if it were blazing.

"It's like a dragon breathed fire into my hand!" Lord Hector yelled, taking off the gloves on his hand, exposing reddish, almost sore skin. "How in the world do you hold onto that?"

Lady Lyn and Lord Eliwood and Legault and I looked at the Fire Emblem again, there on the floor, all fire red. "It wasn't that hot when I touched it," Legault said.

I nodded, "Just right. Just a little warmth."

Lord Hector was still minding his hand. Lyn rolled her eyes, and reached down to pick up the stone. "Well, it probably doesn't let uncivilized monkeys touch—ouch!" She yelped when she touched the stone, quickly withdrawing her fingers.

Lord Hector gave a laugh. "Who's the uncivilized monkey now?" Lady Lyn shot him a bad look.

"Lyn, Hector, shush," Lord Eliwood said, bending down to pick up the stone—to be greeted by its wrath as well. "That's odd. None of us can hold onto it if it's this hot. I wonder why it suddenly—"

"Kumiko probably did something weird to it!" Lord Hector said.

"I-I didn't! I just touched it and it was alright and—"and I scooped up the stone in my hand. The fiery red turned back to its cold blue, its warmth just right in my hand.

The lords blinked. "It… likes you," said Lord Eliwood.

Lord Hector shrugged and said, "It's a stone. It can't have its opinion of anyone."

"Let me," Legault said. He took the stone, and it showed no adverse effect towards him.

"See!" Lord Hector said. "How can someon—_something_ like Kumiko and _then _like Legault?"

Legault made a thoughtful pout. I thought he was offended, but then he said, "I don't think it has anything to do with personalities. Maybe it's—ah, maybe it is."

"Maybe it's _what_?" Lyn and I asked at the same time.

Legault turned around, and yelled at Heath, who was in a side of the room, looking over Hyperion and Priscilla and Merlinus, who were trying to heal the mount. Heath turned to our direction and gave us a puzzled look.

"Catch!" Legault yelled, and when he raised his fist in the air, stone in it, we literally gasped. He can't seriously be throwing the Fire Emblem to Heath, who was over a dozen feet away—

"Legault, don't—"

But Heath, sensing our urgency and worry, alertly dived for the stone, catching it perfectly in his hands. The stone did not protest to his touch, still the iciest blue.

"…As I thought," Legault said, just about when Lord Hector and Lady Lyn were about to give him a good scolding. "I think the Fire Emblem only lets Bernese touch it."

"What?" chorused Lord Hector and Lady Lyn.

"Is that possible?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"It's supposed to be the ceremonial magical gemstone of Bern. I think it'd have an inclination towards Bernese. That aside, what else do Kumi and Heath and I have in common?"

There was silence. Nothing, that was the answer. "Then who should hold onto it, then, if only the three of you can hold onto it?" Lyn asked. And she was met by silence.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"_Well, hello there, Zephiel!" Anko greeted as she jumped down the manse wall, too cheerfully for someone who knew that the prince was about to be assassinated._

_The prince, who was walking in the gardens, seemingly deep in thought, didn't even hear her. Even when she walked towards him with noisy footsteps—intentional, as Anko never walked with the slightest hint of a sound—he did not sense her._

"_Zephiel!" she said, walking up to him from behind, and tapping him on the back. The prince jerked up in surprise, turning around to see Anko. Relief washed over him when he saw that it was only Anko. "What's wrong? You look stunned. Did I catch you at a bad time?"_

"_Not really," he said, as he regained his composure. "…You just have the most annoying habit of appearing where you please. How are you today, Anko? I did not expect you to come—the manse is rather distant from the capital."_

"_I was bored. I didn't have anything to do," Anko said, with a shrug. "And… you know what happened. My father died. I don't—I can't afford to stop moving. I'll end up crying, and that's just pathetic."_

"_T-There's nothing wrong with crying…" Zephiel said, almost sounding embarrassed to say it. "I mean, it must hurt, so you have to let it out sometime."_

_But instead of agreeing or disagreeing, Anko just put on a smirk, and teased, "Why do you say that, your majesty? Do you cry, too?"_

"_Not always," Zephiel said. "…And I know you don't always, too. But you've lost your father. You have a right to cry about it."_

"_I have," Anko said. "But what do you cry about?"_

"…_I'm losing a father, too."_

_Wrong. You're not losing him-he's already lost, Anko thought. Poor boy._

0o0o0o0o0o0

"We can't just 'move'!" Serra yelled, causing Lord Hector to raise a brow and everyone else to flinch at her pitchy voice. "Look at all this work! This is going to take us some time—and after that, it's going to get dark! We'll get lost in this snow!"

Serra shouldn't have yelled at Lord Hector, but I was part of the group she was bargaining for. I was sitting there, on the floor of the huge throne room, watching her argue. To my right was a Hyperion flailing about in pain of his wound—the beast stomped around, fell back into the ground, swished its tail so much that it was already dangerous to get anywhere near it. Heath was trying to calm it down, and beside him, Priscilla was frustrated. Apparently that super healing tonic that Merlinus had in stock was awful on wyverns. To my left were Legault and Lord Pent and Lucius huddled over a half-dead Guy. He was cut up—badly!—across the gut. I felt horrible just knowing that. That and he was going to get a lot of stitches and scars, and Lord Athos wasn't there to heal him like Erk. And scattered in between us are other piles of wounded—not as major as the two, so we sat back and waited. Lyn had come by me and expertly bandaged me, but I was still waiting for a healer. And wondering how to get the glass out of me—arm movements still caused me sharp, stinging pains.

"Why can't we just stay in the castle for a while, get a good night's rest… BEFORE barging out into that snow?" Serra suggested, still yelling, but less loudly now.

Lord Hector was on the verge of angry and throwing stuff around. "YOU don't understand what's happening, woman! We MUST get to the manse quickly! Or else the prince will die, and when he dies, we're doomed, the world is doomed for all I know! Quit yelling and get to work!"

I groaned, embarrassed for both their sakes. This really wasn't the time for arguing. I recalled old memories, and wondered if a—what was that? Magic Seal?—was around. Because despite the snow, everyone sure was hotheaded.

"Look at them argue. They're like children," a voice suddenly said, and I turned my head around to find Erk before me, looking over at Lord Hector and Serra. He shook his head, ashamed for both of them, too.

"Serra's tired. It's been a long day," I told him, just to balance out opinions. "Lord Hector knows what must be urgently done, but he's also had a long day." Two battles in a day—who wouldn't tire of that? Not to mention marching in the snow for a long time…

"I guess you're right," he quietly said, and then he crouched down beside me on the floor, gently taking my arm in his hand. "Let me look at that."

The mere movement of Erk pulling my arm towards him—no matter how gently he did it—caused weird little sharp things in my flesh to make themselves felt. I flinched a little, but caught myself, hoping Erk wouldn't see it. He opened the bandages Lyn put on, and made a face when he saw that no first-aid vulnerary has been applied on my cuts. I didn't want anyone to. If my cuts dried that quickly, what are the chances that I'd get the glass out? They'd be stuck in there, like, forever.

"It's still rather fresh. Why didn't you apply some medicine?"

"…We ran out of the stuff."

Erk's slight frown tugged down into a complete frown. And then he just held my arm close to his face, and then he said, "You've got glass inside."

H-How could he tell that? "I-I…"

"It glints. It's not too deep, but the pieces are small. Maybe we can wash the glass out."

Wash! My open wounds! NO! I pulled my arm away from Erk, the action speaking out my thoughts for me. "Wash? Drench it in water? You're mad!"

"It will bleed and sting and hurt, but when the glass is out, I can heal it."

Well, that was encouraging. It will bleed. Sting. Hurt. _Very _encouraging. "No."

"You won't have to get stitches. I think it will shut close when I heal it. Or would you rather have glass stuck inside you for a while?"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_Anko observed silently, as Zephiel sat with her in the garden gazebo, pastry and biscuits set out before them. He was always too kind for his own good, Anko thought. So kind that he can't see a snake even if he was looking at one. That was saying much, considering how the prince was surrounded by snakes. His father. His mother as well—thinking of nothing but the throne, of keeping her place as Queen of Bern. And Anko herself—she was a snake, too, even if he called her his friend. She was still a snake, the deadly kind, with unpredictable nature and loyalties. The only one the prince could ever really trust was his guard, the General Murdock._

_Speaking of Murdock… "I haven't seen General Stone-face around," Anko remarked, taking a biscuit from the tray._

"_Please stop referring to him like that," Zephiel told her. Anko just laughed. "He's at Bern Keep, sent for a very important errand I hear. He'll be back in a few days."_

…_He's not on an errand, Anko thought, the King is keeping him from your side. "Then, you're guardless," Anko said._

"_Not exactly—there are guards all over the manse."_

"_But there's not one that watches you like a hawk. Be careful. Do you sleep with your sword, like we tell you?"_

_He nodded, but there was a hint of annoyance at being asked that question—again. "Yes. For all time, yes. You and Murdock and mother tell me that all the time. Yes, I sleep with a sword somewhere near me. Yes, I walk around with a sword," he patted at the sword hanging at his belt," and yes, I still have weapons inside my clothes. And while I'm no expert, I'm not a beginner at swordplay. I think I'm capable of defending myself."_

_Anko smiled—of course he was capable of defending himself. The prince excelled at swords, like he excelled in everything he ever tried. What a blessed boy. "You are not being underestimated, my prince. Just telling you to be careful. I don't think anyone would ever plot to kill you, but you have to be prepared, aye? Better safe than sorry."_

_He raised a puzzled brow at her. "…Anko? Is there something you know that I do not?"_

_Yes. You are going to be assassinated tonight. "I know a lot of things you do not, my lord. What particular 'something' are you talking about?"_

"_I mean, must I be prepared for something today or the coming days? Is there any danger?"_

"_Of course there is danger. Of course you must be prepared. You are a noble of Bern—there is always danger."_

_He gave her a little frown. "I know that. I will always be royalty. I will never be an ordinary boy. I'm turning sixteen and I'm my father's son. I cannot do something an ordinary boy my age would do."_

_She noted his frown and the grave tone of his voice, so she tried to lighten up. "Oh, there is one thing. You can meet pretty girls and fall in-love. All boys do that. You're of age—maybe you'll get married or engaged in a while. You're the prince of Bern, you can probably have anyone you choose."_

"_Anyone my mother or father chooses, you mean," he corrected. "I almost envy you, Anko. You have no one who would tell you what you should or should not do."_

_Anko fell silent, and then Zephiel realized he should not have said that. Anko would probably prefer to have her father scolding her everyday than having her father gone. But then she just shrugged. "I always hung out with rowdy mean and sly, cunning folk. If my father had another year of me being in this crowd, he'd probably have me married to some boring, quiet countryside knight."_

"_Not all knights are boring," Zephiel told her._

_Anko smirked. "How can you say that, when you're almost always guarded by the most boring one on Elibe?" She meant General Murdock, of course. "I don't want a man like that. I want a man who loves adventure. Who'll defend a friend even if it means he'll be in a bind. Someone who'll turn traitor on his own country if he knows it's in the wrong. Who values truth and friendship rather than title or pride. And someone stronger than me—how would I like someone who can't even overrule me?"_

_Zephiel gave a small laugh. "That man would be very hard to find. When you make your plans, Anko, no one overrules you."_

"_Unless he is a very determined man!"_

_Zephiel's laughter grew even louder. "A man who'd overrule you is very hard to find indeed. It'd be interesting to meet that man one day."_

_Anko laughed herself. She knew that such a man did not exist._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I saw Isadora with a blonde-haired man, well-bodied and handsome, and she was all over him, smiling so much it was practically blinding, chatting with him endlessly. He was a new face—maybe an old friend Isadora ran into? I looked on some more, until I noticed that Legault was beside me when he groaned.

"Who's that?" I asked the thief.

He groaned again. "_The _fiancé. The very cause of my drunkenness just a day or so ago. Funny world, ain't it? Now he's with us."

I could hear Legault's pain in his voice, masked well with a cheery tone but still there. "Oh, I'm sorry, Legault..."

He smirked, just like I imagined he would. "Sorry? Nah. This is a good thing. She can be happy. Lord Eliwood and them Phereans are glad to see him again, too. And we've got another fighter in our ranks. There's nothing to feel bad about."

That was a mask—just like Matt's smile when Leila died. It saddened me, that of all people, Legault had to do this. "You can tell me the truth, you know," I told him. "I know you're upset."

There was a silence, and then Legault muttered, "...Yeah. If anything else, I am absolutely upset. I hate him. He just... sickens me. The thought that he left her all alone, and the thought that he can leave her all alone and would have preferred it—it's just absolutely ridiculous. I would have never done that. I would have left everything for her."

"But you have to get along with him," I advised him. "Set aside the hate. You're gonna be fighting alongside him now."

"Yes, I know," he said. "And don't worry, I won't do anything stupid. And I won't show this absolutely down and irritated side to the lady. I can't confuse her, right? She's a great woman. She has a right to her happiness, and I can't ruin all that."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Lord Hector, calm down..."

"—absolutely ridiculous!" He didn't, as I said, calm down. Instead he started stomping along some more in the room, and I wondered if it were just my imagination, but the small framed pictures hanging on the wall seemed to shake with each stomp his boots gave. The room that Lord Hector occupied in the manse belonged to the once-lady of the castle—the Lady Regrada. The Black Fang raided her once luxurious apartments, leaving it bare, aside from her bed and her framed portraits. "We'll never reach the manse in time! A troupe this huge, against two swift assassins crossing the snow, already half a day ahead of us—the prince'd be dead before we even reach the manse.

Lord Oswin was there, too, staring intently as Lord Hector paced left and right, right and left. But it was my time to deal with Lord Hector. Lord Oswin had called me there hoping I'd bring him to his sense, since apparently he had already failed. "The group needs time to recover, we have grave injuries, and marching right out into the snow would be suicide—"

Lord Hector huffed, stilled, and said, "I know. But everything hangs here. I wonder how you and Eliwood and Lyn can be so relaxed about it. Isn't there another way around this? Send a mobile troupe ahead like you did once?"

I looked down at the floor, and shook my head slowly. I had thought of that, but I wasn't about to send a fast group ahead to the manse without anyone who knew the terrain well. Heath wasn't well to ride with Hyperion healing. The pegasus sisters, no matter how used they were to Regrada's colds, could still be potentially lost in the snow fields. And infiltrating a manse and stopping an assassin like Jaffar required a very great warrior... and I just wonder, who could match the Angel of Death?

"That would be a greater risk, Lord Hector. We would lose men, one way or the other, if we do that rash course of action," I told him.

"We would lose the whole world if this fails now! No Fire Emblem, no Shrine of Seals, no way to stop Nergal and his madness with the dragons!"

He wasn't—he wasn't usually like this. Or... maybe he was. Lord Hector can be rash and hotheaded. "Lord Hector... you're tired. Please," I said, and I swear I sounded like a cooing lover. (Not that I would be anywhere near Lord Hector's lover...) "I... I can't assure you of what will happen. But anything planned in a rush and done with doubt would never be a good plan. I can't tell you to trust me. But if we don't stop the murder, we may still find the Shrine of Seals. There may be more than one way to search it..."

"Send me," he said. "Send me instead! We need someone to kill that monster! That—that Angel of Death! Send me first, and I'll make sure he never touches the prince, and no more of us!"

I blinked, when this sort of realization hit me—it was not about winning, hope for the world, the dragons... this was about revenge. He _loathed_ the Angel of Death. For what he did to Leila? Did Matt tell? "...Lord Hector..."

"I'll rip him apart," he said. "I'll make sure he pays. There is no forgiveness in my heart for a man like him."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_No room for forgiveness._

Can someone possibly do something so cruel as to not earn forgiveness from anyone? How can Lord Hector say those words—how could he?

I never would understand, I was not a close friend to Leila, or nor has anyone taken the life of anyone dear to me. My parents died in service. Sir Alecto died in disease. There is one man I loathed—my blood father—but more than loathe, I _feared_ him. He was a shadow I would never get over. I look in the mirror and I see him, his blonde hair and his blue eyes, and I knew I would never escape him. But have I _forgiven _him?

...I think that's unnecessary. He's dead, and what use does the dead have of forgiveness? He will never be aware of it since he's gone. And he never sought it, anyway. He never needed it. He lived well without it. But I wonder—how have I lived with it, that anger, that fright? The bastard lived well without my forgiveness, but I was still here, stuck in his shadow, and I think that my anger for him has caused me more trouble than it had him.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**End of Part One.**

**I have never done this before, people. Leaving a chapter unfinished and posting it. This chapter is nearly halfway done, I have already fleshed out most of the dialogues, meeting Jaffar and Nino and all that, Matt's reaction to Jaffar, giving the Emblem to Queen Hellene, all but the battle and pre-battle part. But I haven't updated for so long (I have updated around the beginning of the year, and now it's a new year!) and I didn't want it to stay that way so I decided to put up a bit of the parts that I have already written. I haven't fully given up yet, readers! Here's to hoping your reviews magically power me up to write more! Suggestions on how the rest of the chapter and how the battle would go would be very welcome and would make things easier for me. ...If you are still there, readers.**

**I have a lot of real life interruptions, so pardon my inability to update frequently. Most of my other writing projects are postponed—even my artworks are part postponed, since I'm graduating college pretty soon (hopefully... I hope I don't fail anything, that would be my definition of DESPAIR) and I recently have a relationship and I'm admittedly spending too much time on it (BLAME HIM FOR LATE UPDATE XDD), so school, baking, cosplay, family, and my boyfriend have eaten up my time. Too many things to think about. Admittedly I'm in a very tough time in my life and I have a lot of problems... WEEP! I can't involve you all in the drama so I won't write down my story, but I just wanted to say. I'm human, too. Most of you probably know me as the writer, but sadly, I also have my real-life troubles, and they overwhelm me at times. Like my character, Kumi, I've got my flaws, and no matter how hard I try, sometimes problems just drown me. ALRIGHT ENOUGH DRAAAMAAA.**

**Not much room for writing. :( I look to your reviews for inspiration, so keep them coming please. :( I hope no one minds if I update in parts now? It means faster updates, but bit-by-bits of chapters... If I update one big chapter at a time, it takes me ages (which we all know by now.)**

**Hope I satisfied you enough, guys, with this intro into Chapter 26. Let's all hope the next part gets done quicker!**


	34. Battle Before Dawn

Author's Note: You may need to reread from the beginning, my friends, scenes have been added and edited.

Chapter 26 | Battle Before Dawn

_Two assassins in the employ of the Black Fang move in. They've been set loose in the palace to murder the crown prince, Zephiel. We hurry to prevent them from fulfilling their contract._

The Fire Emblem had certainly been eluding us. We've been looking for it for a while, and no luck so far. It wasn't in the rooms, in the cabinets, in the secret compartment in the throne. That was when, finally, we resorted to the slightly disgusting—looking through the dead.

"Everyone is being driven mad by Nergal..." Lord Eliwood said as we looked, while slowly shaking his head. Of course, I thought. Everyone was going mad, Nergal himself is mad.

"It must be terrifying, to lose yourself entirely...To fall completely under the sway of Nergal's power..." Lyn mused. I shuddered. The thought of losing myself entirely—going mad—was far too saddening. I know it happens—we've seen it happen to Nergal's followers—and I know that it's not just Nergal. It happens with power. It happens in political power, in financial power—you can lose yourself completely to power. It happens in magic power. I know it happens—Knarrd of the Tactician Guild is a shaman, and even if he's more tolerant and patient than the normal man, we have seen him act outside reason. The price of power, he says.

The price of power—treating Nergal as your personal god.

" ...Hey!" Legault exclaimed, as he found something in Kenneth's robes. He held it out—a blue gemstone, blue like the skies, diamond cut. "What could this be?"

Its color was the iciest blue, but in the back of our minds, we knew what it could be. "...The Fire Emblem?" Lord Eliwood said, uncertainly.

"…But it's… blue," Lyn said. "I knew the emblem was a gemstone, but I imagined it would be red or orange… it is called the Fire Emblem, after all."

"…But I can't shake the feeling that it is the Emblem. As if it's announcing itself," I told Lyn. I don't know why, but the stone had some sort of… presence. I know it sounds weird for me to say that, but it's as if the stone is saying, "I am the Fire Emblem, Bern's most prized item."

Lord Eliwood and Hector curiously looked on, (and Lord Hector was probably thinking, 'ah, these odd Bernese, with their odd magical stones',) and then Legault just blinked, and said, "It's the Fire Emblem."

"…How can you be sure?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"I just am," Legault said, suddenly tossing the stone to the air. Why did he-?

I immediately lunged after the stone, before the thing could fall to the ground and shatter. And the second it made contact with my skin, I knew it was the Fire Emblem. It was warm to the touch, almost alive. Warm enough to make your skin react, but not to the point that it scorches it. And it… it's weird, but I really feel it telling me that it's the Emblem. "It's the Fire Emblem," I said, now without question. "It's… magical. It's almost alive."

"I don't know about 'magical' and a stone being alive, but… Let's take it and go!" Lord Hector concluded. "There's no reason for us to stay any longer!"

There was a collective of nods, and Lord Eliwood said, "Let's make haste for the manse! We must stop the assassination! We cannot let the prince's life be put in jeopardy!"

o0o0o0o0o

"I'll hold onto that," Lord Hector told me, palm open, waiting for the Fire Emblem. "If you hold onto it, you'll probably lose it or drop it or get it stolen."

I should have been offended, but he was probably right. "Here you go," I said, carefully dropping the gemstone in his hand.

But all my careful efforts were worth nothing when Lord Hector suddenly jerked up, tossing the stone in the air, then yelling about while clutching his hand. "By the gods! That damn hurts! It's scorching! It's _hot!_"

We turned to the stone, rolling on its sides on the floor, its color remarkably shifting into the fiercest red, as if it were blazing.

"It's like a dragon breathed fire into my hand!" Lord Hector yelled, taking off the gloves on his hand, exposing reddish, almost sore skin. "How in the world do you hold onto that?"

Lady Lyn and Lord Eliwood and Legault and I looked at the Fire Emblem again, there on the floor, all fire red. "It wasn't that hot when I touched it," Legault said.

I nodded, "Just right. Just a little warmth."

Lord Hector was still minding his hand. Lyn rolled her eyes, and reached down to pick up the stone. "Well, it probably doesn't let uncivilized monkeys touch—ouch!" She yelped when she touched the stone, quickly withdrawing her fingers.

Lord Hector gave a laugh. "Who's the uncivilized monkey now?" Lady Lyn shot him a bad look.

"Lyn, Hector, shush," Lord Eliwood said, bending down to pick up the stone—to be greeted by its wrath as well. "That's odd. None of us can hold onto it if it's this hot. I wonder why it suddenly—"

"Kumiko probably did something weird to it!" Lord Hector said.

"I-I didn't! I just touched it and it was alright and—"and I scooped up the stone in my hand. The fiery red turned back to its cold blue, its warmth just right in my hand.

The lords blinked. "It… likes you," said Lord Eliwood.

Lord Hector shrugged and said, "It's a stone. It can't have its opinion of anyone."

"Let me," Legault said. He took the stone, and it showed no adverse effect towards him.

"See!" Lord Hector said. "How can someon—_something_ like Kumiko and _then _like Legault?"

Legault made a thoughtful pout. I thought he was offended, but then he said, "I don't think it has anything to do with personalities. Maybe it's—ah, maybe it is."

"Maybe it's _what_?" Lyn and I asked at the same time.

Legault turned around, and yelled at Heath, who was in a side of the room, looking over Hyperion and Priscilla and Merlinus, who were trying to heal the mount. Heath turned to our direction and gave us a puzzled look.

"Catch!" Legault yelled, and when he raised his fist in the air, stone in it, we literally gasped. He can't seriously be throwing the Fire Emblem to Heath, who was over a dozen feet away—

"Legault, don't—"

But Heath, sensing our urgency and worry, alertly dived for the stone, catching it perfectly in his hands. The stone did not protest to his touch, still the iciest blue.

"…As I thought," Legault said, just about when Lord Hector and Lady Lyn were about to give him a good scolding. "I think the Fire Emblem only lets Bernese touch it."

"What?" chorused Lord Hector and Lady Lyn.

"Is that possible?" Lord Eliwood asked.

"It's supposed to be the ceremonial magical gemstone of Bern. I think it'd have an inclination towards Bernese. That aside, what else do Kumi and Heath and I have in common?"

There was silence. Nothing, that was the answer. "Then who should hold onto it, then, if only the three of you can hold onto it?" Lyn asked. And she was met by silence.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"_Well, hello there, Zephiel!" Anko greeted as she jumped down the manse wall, too cheerfully for someone who knew that the prince was about to be assassinated._

_The prince, who was walking in the gardens, seemingly deep in thought, didn't even hear her. Even when she walked towards him with noisy footsteps—intentional, as Anko never walked with the slightest hint of a sound—he did not sense her._

"_Zephiel!" she said, walking up to him from behind, and tapping him on the back. The prince jerked up in surprise, turning around to see Anko. Relief washed over him when he saw that it was only Anko. "What's wrong? You look stunned. Did I catch you at a bad time?"_

"_Not really," he said, as he regained his composure. "…You just have the most annoying habit of appearing where you please. How are you today, Anko? I did not expect you to come—the manse is rather distant from the capital."_

"_I was bored. I didn't have anything to do," Anko said, with a shrug. "And… you know what happened. My father died. I don't—I can't afford to stop moving. I'll end up crying, and that's just pathetic."_

"_T-There's nothing wrong with crying…" Zephiel said, almost sounding embarrassed to say it. "I mean, it must hurt, so you have to let it out sometime."_

_But instead of agreeing or disagreeing, Anko just put on a smirk, and teased, "Why do you say that, your majesty? Do you cry, too?"_

"_Not always," Zephiel said. "…And I know you don't always, too. But you've lost your father. You have a right to cry about it."_

"_I have," Anko said. "But what do you cry about?"_

"…_I'm losing a father, too."_

_Wrong. You're not losing him-he's already lost, Anko thought. Poor boy._

0o0o0o0o0o0

"We can't just 'move'!" Serra yelled, causing Lord Hector to raise a brow and everyone else to flinch at her pitchy voice. "Look at all this work! This is going to take us some time—and after that, it's going to get dark! We'll get lost in this snow!"

Serra shouldn't have yelled at Lord Hector, but I was part of the group she was bargaining for. I was sitting there, on the floor of the huge throne room, watching her argue. To my right was a Hyperion flailing about in pain of his wound—the beast stomped around, fell back into the ground, swished its tail so much that it was already dangerous to get anywhere near it. Heath was trying to calm it down, and beside him, Priscilla was frustrated. Apparently that super healing tonic that Merlinus had in stock was awful on wyverns. To my left were Legault and Lord Pent and Lucius huddled over a half-dead Guy. He was cut up—badly!—across the gut. I felt horrible just knowing that. That and he was going to get a lot of stitches and scars, and Lord Athos wasn't there to heal him like Erk. And scattered in between us are other piles of wounded—not as major as the two, so we sat back and waited. Lyn had come by me and expertly bandaged me, but I was still waiting for a healer. And wondering how to get the glass out of me—arm movements still caused me sharp, stinging pains.

"Why can't we just stay in the castle for a while, get a good night's rest… BEFORE barging out into that snow?" Serra suggested, still yelling, but less loudly now.

Lord Hector was on the verge of angry and throwing stuff around. "YOU don't understand what's happening, woman! We MUST get to the manse quickly! Or else the prince will die, and when he dies, we're doomed, the world is doomed for all I know! Quit yelling and get to work!"

I groaned, embarrassed for both their sakes. This really wasn't the time for arguing. I recalled old memories, and wondered if a—what was that? Magic Seal?—was around. Because despite the snow, everyone sure was hotheaded.

"Look at them argue. They're like children," a voice suddenly said, and I turned my head around to find Erk before me, looking over at Lord Hector and Serra. He shook his head, ashamed for both of them, too.

"Serra's tired. It's been a long day," I told him, just to balance out opinions. "Lord Hector knows what must be urgently done, but he's also had a long day." Two battles in a day—who wouldn't tire of that? Not to mention marching in the snow for a long time…

"I guess you're right," he quietly said, and then he crouched down beside me on the floor, gently taking my arm in his hand. "Let me look at that."

The mere movement of Erk pulling my arm towards him—no matter how gently he did it—caused weird little sharp things in my flesh to make themselves felt. I flinched a little, but caught myself, hoping Erk wouldn't see it. He opened the bandages Lyn put on, and made a face when he saw that no first-aid vulnerary has been applied on my cuts. I didn't want anyone to. If my cuts dried that quickly, what are the chances that I'd get the glass out? They'd be stuck in there, like, forever.

"It's still rather fresh. Why didn't you apply some medicine?"

"…We ran out of the stuff."

Erk's slight frown tugged down into a complete frown. And then he just held my arm close to his face, and then he said, "You've got glass inside."

H-How could he tell that? "I-I…"

"It glints. It's not too deep, but the pieces are small. Maybe we can wash the glass out."

Wash! My open wounds! NO! I pulled my arm away from Erk, the action speaking out my thoughts for me. "Wash? Drench it in water? You're mad!"

"It will bleed and sting and hurt, but when the glass is out, I can heal it."

Well, that was encouraging. It will bleed. Sting. Hurt. _Very _encouraging. "No."

"You won't have to get stitches. I think it will shut close when I heal it. Or would you rather have glass stuck inside you for a while?"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_Anko observed silently, as Zephiel sat with her in the garden gazebo, pastry and biscuits set out before them. He was always too kind for his own good, Anko thought. So kind that he can't see a snake even if he was looking at one. That was saying much, considering how the prince was surrounded by snakes. His father. His mother as well—thinking of nothing but the throne, of keeping her place as Queen of Bern. And Anko herself—she was a snake, too, even if he called her his friend. She was still a snake, the deadly kind, with unpredictable nature and loyalties. The only one the prince could ever really trust was his guard, the General Murdock._

_Speaking of Murdock… "I haven't seen General Stone-face around," Anko remarked, taking a biscuit from the tray._

"_Please stop referring to him like that," Zephiel told her. Anko just laughed. "He's at Bern Keep, sent for a very important errand I hear. He'll be back in a few days."_

…_He's not on an errand, Anko thought, the King is keeping him from your side. "Then, you're guardless," Anko said._

"_Not exactly—there are guards all over the manse."_

"_But there's not one that watches you like a hawk. Be careful. Do you sleep with your sword, like we tell you?"_

_He nodded, but there was a hint of annoyance at being asked that question—again. "Yes. For all time, yes. You and Murdock and mother tell me that all the time. Yes, I sleep with a sword somewhere near me. Yes, I walk around with a sword," he patted at the sword hanging at his belt," and yes, I still have weapons inside my clothes. And while I'm no expert, I'm not a beginner at swordplay. I think I'm capable of defending myself."_

_Anko smiled—of course he was capable of defending himself. The prince excelled at swords, like he excelled in everything he ever tried. What a blessed boy. "You are not being underestimated, my prince. Just telling you to be careful. I don't think anyone would ever plot to kill you, but you have to be prepared, aye? Better safe than sorry."_

_He raised a puzzled brow at her. "…Anko? Is there something you know that I do not?"_

_Yes. You are going to be assassinated tonight. "I know a lot of things you do not, my lord. What particular 'something' are you talking about?"_

"_I mean, must I be prepared for something today or the coming days? Is there any danger?"_

"_Of course there is danger. Of course you must be prepared. You are a noble of Bern—there is always danger."_

_He gave her a little frown. "I know that. I will always be royalty. I will never be an ordinary boy. I'm turning sixteen and I'm my father's son. I cannot do something an ordinary boy my age would do."_

_She noted his frown and the grave tone of his voice, so she tried to lighten up. "Oh, there is one thing. You can meet pretty girls and fall in-love. All boys do that. You're of age—maybe you'll get married or engaged in a while. You're the prince of Bern, you can probably have anyone you choose."_

"_Anyone my mother or father chooses, you mean," he corrected. "I almost envy you, Anko. You have no one who would tell you what you should or should not do."_

_Anko fell silent, and then Zephiel realized he should not have said that. Anko would probably prefer to have her father scolding her everyday than having her father gone. But then she just shrugged. "I always hung out with rowdy men and sly, cunning folk. If my father had another year of me being in this crowd, he'd probably have me married to some boring, quiet countryside knight."_

"_Not all knights are boring," Zephiel told her._

_Anko smirked. "How can you say that, when you're almost always guarded by the most boring one on Elibe?" She meant General Murdock, of course. "I don't want a man like that. I want a man who loves adventure. Who'll defend a friend even if it means he'll be in a bind. Someone who'll turn traitor on his own country if he knows it's in the wrong. Who values truth and friendship rather than title or pride. And someone stronger than me—how would I like someone who can't even overrule me?"_

_Zephiel gave a small laugh. "That man would be very hard to find. When you make your plans, Anko, no one overrules you."_

"_Unless he is a very determined man!"_

_Zephiel's laughter grew even louder. "A man who'd overrule you is very hard to find indeed. It'd be interesting to meet that man one day."_

_Anko laughed herself. She knew that such a man did not exist._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Erk and I went off to a secluded area in the fort, towards a dragon fountain by the end of the hallway, with the stone dragon's mouth spouting clear, cold water into a pool. I held my arms to myself as I walked, conscious of the way small, undoubtedly sparkling things inside them grinded against my flesh. Erk glanced at me out of the corners of his eyes, looking concerned and even somewhat... nervous.

"Have you ever done this before?" I asked Erk, cautiously, as we stopped by the dragon fountain and he gently look my arm to peel off their bandages again, and to study my wound like a doctor.

"Not really," he said, but I could see that that was not what he was concerned about. "Lord Pent has done it to me once, though. When I was very little, I think I broke a glass ink pot or something like that."

"I see," I said, trying to be calm, but when I dipped a finger into the fountain I found that it was ice cold to the touch. Was he going to wash my wound? With water that cold? Hesitation and fear ran in my head. More so when I glanced my wound again, open, flesh peeking through.

He took my arm by the wrist and led my wound to the running water. I flinched at its coldness, biting my lip to keep myself from yelping, and in a short moment I grew used to the cold—so cold it was a bit numbing. That was good. It eased the pain, if only a bit.

Erk peeked through my wound, as if trying to look for tiny specks of glass inside. "Try to move it," he told me. And I did, and felt no more pain of sharp things in my flesh. "Better," I told Erk. "I think you got them all out."

And then he took out his staff and began chanting for a Mend spell. I watched on, impressed, at how Erk—and a lot of my friends, almost everyone who fought at this campaign—had gotten better, and had expanded their skills and knowledge. But what about me? Have I gotten better? Will I still be good enough to lead a group that is steadily growing stronger and stronger? If I'm too weak, they will be, too, no matter how good they are.

"Kumiko?" Erk called on me, and I snapped from my thoughts. I turned to Erk, who was looking curiously at me now. And then I looked down at my wound—all gone. I moved my arm to check, and it was good as new.

I smiled. "Wow. It's like nothing ever happened. Thanks, Erk. You're awesome. I can never figure out how you do those things."

"You're welcome," Erk said. "Anything else I can help you with?"

I shook my head jovially. "Nothing else, Erk. No more wounds or scrapes, thankfully."

"Are you sure? Isn't there anything bothering you?"

A lot of things, actually. Battle plans. The pressure to improve my skills as the crew grew larger and stronger. The pressure of having to command people twice your age—I still can't imagine myself giving orders to veterans like Lord Oswin or Lord Marcus, who have far more experience than I do, I reckon. But they have not disrespected me. If I need correction, they present my mistakes to me gently, and never embarrass me in front of the entire company. They are kind. Then there was having to remember who was capable of what and who was not—to remember that Guy was not to be relied on when it came to seafare, that Florina had a fear of men and must be carefully watched over, that Heath couldn't be trusted to guard the supplies if only because Hyperion had a penchant for invading the supplies and eating all the carrots or whatnot. And then there was... there was Matt, the Angel of Death, and Nino.

"Oh, Erk," I sighed, and spilled everything out. "I'm not sure I've told you what we've seen just moments ago, right here in Regrada. It's just... just..."

"Just what, Kumiko?" he asked curiously.

He knew our secret. He was there, I dragged him there, I dragged him to heal Jaffar. "It's... It's Jaffar. And Nino. We found them here—here in the fort, taking instructions. And they were—they're the ones commanded to kill the prince. They are the assassins we're chasing after."

Erk's expression turned dark. I knew he got the gist of what I was saying, and what our role was in it. "I shouldn't have done it. What in the world did I do? What hit my head back then? Jaffar is still our enemy. If I hadn't been so softhearted back then—"

"Hush, Kumiko," Erk said, walking to my side and placing an awkward arm to my shoulder. "You can't regret that now. If you hadn't done it, they'd just send another assassin for the prince. It doesn't change a thing."

"I know," I said, as Erk tried to comfort me by stroking my back, but his fingers had a shiver to it, and I knew he was not used to giving comfort. "But that's not—that's not what worries me."

"What worries you, then?"

I sighed, and admitted. "It's Matthew. He—He knows what Jaffar did. And when we're facing a possible truce with Jaffar and I wonder what that might do to him. We can talk to the girl, Nino—you've seen her, it seems like she'd understand us, right? She's a nice girl. If she has Jaffar's friendship at all, maybe he'll consider a truce. But what will that do to Matt? He'd never accept it. He will kill Jaffar himself. Oh, I wish I didn't—"

Erk's hand on my shoulder fell limp, and dropped down. "Always Matthew, huh?" he murmured darkly.

I looked up to him sharply. "Erk?"

He took a few steps away from me and looked down into my eyes, his cool amethyst orbs almost ablaze. "You're always saying, Matthew this, Matthew that. Always Matthew. Don't you ever see anyone else?"

I was shocked at this Erk that I was seeing, at the hostile tone that he was taking. "Don't put it that way, Erk..."

"What would you do if I told Matthew everything? That you saved Jaffar, that you let him live?"

"No, don't!" I said, pleading. "What in the world are you saying, Erk? Why would you do that?"

He didn't answer my question. Instead he said, "He's going to hate you. An awful lot."

Yes, he would. He'd _hate _me. And I couldn't ever imagine having to endure Matt's hate. "Erk, what is wrong with you? You said—you promised it was our secret! Forever! But why are you doing this-?"

He hesitated, exhaled loudly, and told me, "Do you really want to know?"

I was silent, and all I gave was a small nod.

"Because I'm in-love with you, Kumiko. And not that stuff that's for friends. I mean it, Kumiko. I love you."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I stood there, frozen into place, and then I blinked in disbelief. And then I said, "You're... what?"

"In-love with you," Erk repeated, his gaze now on the floor, his face beet red. But then the embarrassment in his face turned dark again when he bit his lip and said, "And I loathe Matthew for taking all your attention. You never really care about anyone but him."

"T-That's not true!"

"Oh, it is. Listen to yourself, Kumiko. Weren't you just thinking of Matthew's welfare back then? Worried for Matthew's sake? You didn't even see how hurt I was by everything you said. You don't see anyone but him."

"B-But how was I to know that you—you're-" In-love with me. I couldn't even say it. "Erk, this doesn't even make sense. How in the world would you ever fall in-love with me? I'm short and ugly and unrefined and shy and—"

"Brilliant. Brave. Beautiful. You have your flaws, but you face them."

I shook my head. "They drown me at times, too."

"And have I mentioned modest? You deflect flattery expertly, Kumiko."

I still shook my head. "I still don't understand. And how could you—how—"

"I understand. And I knew this day would come. I've been trying to tell you for so long—but there were too many interruptions. But I just couldn't help it anymore."

I still couldn't believe everything. What was I supposed to say? Erk—who was a very fine young man, I have to say, not bad looking, very smart, and with a good standing in Etruria, being the student of Lord Pent and all that—has just said that he loved me. What was I supposed to say in return? Oh, a couple boys in the Academy said the same things to me, but I never really took them seriously and I knew they were teasing. Besides, I didn't like them. They're all proud and arrogant good-for-nothing nobles. And Anko always made sure to scare them away. But Erk was a good man. I could like him. Maybe I did. But...

"Erk, first things first, I am _not_ in-love with Matthew."

He blinked at that. "Am I supposed to believe that?"

"Matt is like... like a brother," I tried to explain. "He's like a brother that the gods forgot to gave me one way or the other. I'm sure he doesn't love me, and neither do I love him." I wasn't sure if my answers were certain, but I sure knew they were safe, and that they hurt no one.

"And where does that put me?"

Oh, Erk. I rarely saw him like this, so brave, so audacious, so determined. But, maybe Erk really was like that. I just never paid attention. Maybe he was right. Because I was always busy with Matthew this, Matthew that.

"I... I like you, Erk. As a very good friend," I told him, carefully examining his reactions. He didn't seem too surprised. In fact, he seemed to make nothing of it. "That you said you love me is something I'll cherish forever. But... now isn't the right time for these things. I'm too busy, Erk. We both are. We have battles to fight. Plans and traps to arrange. Magic to study. Princes to save-"

He just stood there and stared at me.

I figured he must be hurt and my words must have been harsh. "B-But you're a good guy, Erk! Very honest, very sincere, and considerate. You've been critical of me at times, but you've always backed me up. You're very dependable and good at what you do. I wouldn't be here without—"

"You don't have to patch things up, Kumi," he said, cutting me short. "I understand. I know you don't like me back. I _know_. I just... I just had to try." And he shrugged and turned away, making as if to leave.

But I called on him again. One thing still bothered me. "Erk..."

He stopped, and said, without even turning to look back at me, "Don't worry. I'm not telling Matthew. I promised, right? I said I'd keep it secret forever. A secret just between the two of us. Don't worry, Kumiko. I honor my words. And... I'm sorry for this. For both our sakes, just forget this ever happened."

And he walked away.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I walked back to the main hall, my mind still numb from everything that just happened—Erk? In-love with me? I didn't see that coming. Oh, maybe I did, but I didn't assume. I wasn't one to assume, so I was still caught off guard in some ways. But... what was I to do of it? But Erk knew I just couldn't do anything. We were in the middle of war. The tactician doesn't just get distracted by the prospect of love in the middle of a campaign.

Most of the healing was done already, and I made a critical stop. In a corner of the hall, laid on top of a cot and between blankets, was Guy, pale as death himself, and breathing slowly, steadily. I knelt to his side and looked at his young body, scars present all around. The body of someone who has endured far too many sword strokes, far too many wounds. His face was still damp with sweat, as if even in his dreams he was fighting.

He stirred a bit, and then surprisingly, opened his eyes. "Oh, Kumiko," he breathed out, exhausted. "It's you. I thought someone was there. I... I'm sorry, I hope you can forgive me..."

"For what?" I asked, curiously.

"I don't think I can fight the next fight. Not until I heal. I'm sorry, Kumi. You can always just leave me here if I'm a burden..."

"Don't be silly, Guy," I told him, patting him gently on the arm to reassure him. "We won't do that. You'll recover in time. Whatever happens, we don't leave anyone. Serra says you'll be well in a week."

He gasped. "Too long. I'll die if I don't get to fight in a week, Kumiko."

"Then toughen up. Tell me when you're well and I'll give you your orders again. For now, just rest..."

He nodded slowly, and drifted back to his rest. I looked at him again, at the vicious scars at his shoulder... and then I whispered, just a question to myself, "...Who did this to you?"

And then I saw a shadow loom overhead. I turned around, and looked back to see a tall man, standing behind me, his long hair nearly falling down to his feet, his expression grim. He was looking at Guy intently, as if sizing up his strength. His eyes, which seemed to glow ruby, were... frightening, if only because they showed nothing. At the belt of his white trousers hung a sword.

He was not one of us. A new recruit, maybe? But then again, I recognized him. He was... yes, the one who dragged Guy over to Serra. He was the one who saved him. "You're the one who saved him," I said.

He looked down at me, but did not sit, so I had the impression that I was looking up to a giant. "I guess that would be me."

"We owe you greatly, then. What is your name? Would you be fighting with us?"

He stared at me, expression still showing nothing. There was slightly something inhuman in him... "Yes, I would be fighting with you. My name is Karel." That was all he said, and he walked away.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Legault, I just saw this most troubling man walking within our ranks, and he's eerie at best. Is he from Fang?" I started questioning Legault, but then he just let out a sigh, as if he didn't hear me at all. I turned to the direction he was looking at.

I saw Isadora with a blonde-haired man, well-bodied and handsome, and she was all over him, smiling so much it was practically blinding, chatting with him endlessly. He was a new face—maybe an old friend Isadora ran into?

"Who's that?" I asked the thief.

He groaned again. "Name's Harken. _The _fiancé. The very cause of my drunkenness just a day or so ago. Funny world, ain't it? Now he's with us."

I could hear Legault's pain in his voice, masked well with a cheery tone but still there. "Oh, I'm sorry, Legault..."

He smirked, just like I imagined he would. "Sorry? Nah. This is a good thing. She can be happy. Lord Eliwood and them Phereans are glad to see him again, too. And we've got another fighter in our ranks. There's nothing to feel bad about."

That was a mask—just like Matt's smile when Leila died. It saddened me, that of all people, Legault had to do this. "You can tell me the truth, you know," I told him. "I know you're upset."

There was a silence, and then Legault muttered, "...Yeah. If anything else, I am absolutely upset. I hate him. He just... sickens me. The thought that he left her all alone, and the thought that he can leave her all alone and would have preferred it—it's just absolutely ridiculous. I would have never done that. I would have left everything for her."

"But you have to get along with him," I advised him. "Set aside the hate. You're gonna be fighting alongside him now."

"Yes, I know," he said. "And don't worry, I won't do anything stupid. And I won't show this absolutely down and irritated side to the lady. I can't confuse her, right? She's a great woman. She has a right to her happiness, and I can't ruin all that."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

There were many cots laid in the main hall, where those who wanted to get their sleep, or whatever they could get of it, claimed theirs. There was nothing glamorous about a campaign, about war. Days without rest, without bathing, man and mount sleeping together at times, with little or no food. Days where you wonder if there is a tomorrow. We rest and sleep and eat a bit now, but we don't know if there ever is another day tomorrow, if this day is the last.

I huddled into my cot in a corner, still sitting, looking at everyone else for a moment. Heath was camped beside Hyperion, the wyvern sleeping—snoring, maybe—soundly now. The Pegasus sisters—Florina, Fiora, and Farina, were huddled together, their mounts not far from them. Lowen and Rebecca were handing out the last of this evening's food. Raven had his huddle together, Lucius and Priscilla among them. Kent, Sain, and Wil, hardworking as ever, were sorting a few more weapons in Merlinus' stock. Rath was in a corner, brushing his horse's mane. Legault was in a corner himself, all eyes on Isadora and Harken, who were in a conversation with Lord Eliwood and Marcus. Erk was sitting with Lord Pent, Lady Louise, and Canas, no doubt discussing something scholarly.

Oh, Erk...

"Get some sleep, little girl," A hand rested on my head and messed my hair up badly. I didn't have to look up to know that it was Matt. He sat down with me on the floor, pulling his cloak tightly around him, a shield against the cold.

"I'm not a little girl," I said, a mild protest. He just laughed, and looked onward the rest of the group as I did.

I sat there, uneasy in the silence for a while. Erk's words... Me, Matthew... what did we share? Did I love Matthew? But what did love mean? I thought of Matthew a lot and treated him special, he was a good friend, a brother, a shoulder to cry on, a protector... but did I love him? More importantly, did _he_ love me?

That's ridiculous. Matthew loved Leila. He couldn't possibly have the space to love anyone else.

"...You're so quiet," Matt suddenly said.

I stirred. "I'm sorry. Were you asking something?"

He shook his head. "Not really. Just checking up on you. You know that's my job, right? This thing depends a lot on you, and someone's gotta back you up as well, or you'll break down."

"But _why_ are you doing it?" I asked him, importantly. "You don't have to."

"Didn't you just hear what I said. It's my job."

"No one imposed it on you."

"Lord Hector did."

"But if he didn't, would you do it?"

He didn't even have to think about his answer. He gave me a playful shove on the arm, and said, "Of course, silly."

"Why?"

"Well _someone _has to. You're likely to get yourself killed even without an enemy, and someone has to stop that from happening, right?"

I pouted. I wasn't getting answers that I needed from Matt. He didn't give anything away, none of his words did, if he liked me or not. He more or less looked at me as a responsibility. He made it sound like that.

"...You have a problem with that?" he asked, puzzled. "Rather someone else do it?"

"No, not really. I've gotten quite used to you."

I was silent again, and that was when Matthew sighed and said, "Alright, out with it Kumi. What's bothering you?"

I sighed. There was no hiding from Matt. He saw everything. I glanced unnecessarily at Erk, and was surprised to find that he looked at me, too—but only for a split second, for quickly he averted his gaze. I sighed again. "Erk just told me that he's in-love with me."

"Finally!" Matt exclaimed, sounding relieved.

I blinked at him. "You knew? And why would you be relieved? And how in the world would Erk fall in-love with me? I'm ugly and short and sunburned—"

"_Lady Tactician_, we're _all_ ugly and sunburned," Matthew corrected me. "All dirty from sweat and mud and grime and blood and baked from the heat."

"I wouldn't define someone like Lady Louise as that."

"She's a beauty. A noble to boot. It's in her blood. And she's a beauty that has beauty that shines from within." And then Matt added, an afterthought, "Just like you."

"Flattery, Matt."

"Call it what you think of it," he said, and then he put a hand to my forehead and pushed it, as if pushing me down into my cot. "Rest. You'd need it. Even a little. You'd need to refresh your mind. Leave the night watch to us."

"But Matt—"

"Sleep. And tell me about Erk later. I'm dying to know what you said to Mage boy. You probably said something stupid," he said, and laughed softly.

I was left to do nothing but lie down into my cot, and then he tucked me into the covers.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I was about to be nudged gently, though, for what seemed like only a few minutes later. Matt was nudging me quietly, and I opened my eyes to see his face, and Lord Oswin standing right over him.

"I'm afraid Lord Hector needs a good slap and Oswin wants you to deliver it," Matt said, but his tone wasn't amused, so I wondered if it was serious. So, half-awake, Oswin led me to Lord Hector, who was pacing badly. In a few minutes, I tried to talked to him. Tried.

"Lord Hector, calm down..."

"—absolutely ridiculous!" He didn't, as I said, calm down. Instead he started stomping along some more in the room, and I wondered if it were just my imagination, but the small framed pictures hanging on the wall seemed to shake with each stomp his boots gave. The room that Lord Hector occupied in the manse belonged to the once-lady of the castle—the Lady Regrada. The Black Fang raided her once luxurious apartments, leaving it bare, aside from her bed and her framed portraits. "We'll never reach the manse in time! A troupe this huge, against two swift assassins crossing the snow, already half a day ahead of us—the prince'd be dead before we even reach the manse."

Lord Oswin was there, too, staring intently as Lord Hector paced left and right, right and left. But it was my time to deal with Lord Hector. Lord Oswin had called me there hoping I'd bring him to his sense, since apparently he had already failed. "The group needs time to recover, we have grave injuries, and marching right out into the snow would be suicide—"

Lord Hector huffed, stilled, and said, "I know. But everything hangs here. I wonder how you and Eliwood and Lyn can be so relaxed about it. Isn't there another way around this? Send a mobile troupe ahead like you did once?"

I looked down at the floor, and shook my head slowly. I had thought of that, but I wasn't about to send a fast group ahead to the manse without anyone who knew the terrain well. Heath wasn't well to ride with Hyperion healing. The pegasus sisters, no matter how used they were to Regrada's colds, could still be potentially lost in the snow fields. And infiltrating a manse and stopping an assassin like Jaffar required a very great warrior... and I just wonder, who could match the Angel of Death?

"That would be a greater risk, Lord Hector. We would lose men, one way or the other, if we do that rash course of action," I told him.

"We would lose the whole world if this fails now! No Fire Emblem, no Shrine of Seals, no way to stop Nergal and his madness with the dragons!"

He wasn't—he wasn't usually like this. Or... maybe he was. Lord Hector can be rash and hotheaded. "Lord Hector... you're tired. Please," I said, and I swear I sounded like a cooing lover. (Not that I would be anywhere near Lord Hector's lover...) "I... I can't assure you of what will happen. But anything planned in a rush and done with doubt would never be a good plan. I can't tell you to trust me. But if we don't stop the murder, we may still find the Shrine of Seals. There may be more than one way to search it..."

"Send me," he said. "Send me instead! We need someone to kill that monster! That—that Angel of Death! Send me first, and I'll make sure he never touches the prince, and no more of us!"

I blinked, when this sort of realization hit me—it was not about winning, hope for the world, the dragons... this was about revenge. He _loathed_ the Angel of Death. For what he did to Leila? Did Matt tell? "...Lord Hector..."

"I'll rip him apart," he said. "I'll make sure he pays. There is no forgiveness in my heart for a man like him."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_No room for forgiveness._

Can someone possibly do something so cruel as to not earn forgiveness from anyone? How can Lord Hector say those words—how could he?

I never would understand, I was not a close friend to Leila, or nor has anyone taken the life of anyone dear to me. My parents died in service. Sir Alecto died in disease. There is one man I loathed—my blood father—but more than loathe, I _feared_ him. He was a shadow I would never get over. I look in the mirror and I see him, his blonde hair and his blue eyes, and I knew I would never escape him. But have I _forgiven _him?

...I think that's unnecessary. He's dead, and what use does the dead have of forgiveness? He will never be aware of it since he's gone. And he never sought it, anyway. He never needed it. He lived well without it. But I wonder—how have I lived with it, that anger, that fright? The bastard lived well without my forgiveness, but I was still here, stuck in his shadow, and I think that my anger for him has caused me more trouble than it had him.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

We had assembled to leave when it was still dark—the weather was unbearably cold and everyone was in their cloaks and wraps, but that did not help us. I was shivering, too, and I felt as if I were going to faint at any given second. We had minimum sleep, and I wondered if any of us can fight decently. But this was the truce between Lord Hector and Serra's argument—get a little rest, and then set out.

"Gods, I hope we do reach the prince in the manse in time," I caught Lord Hector speaking to the cold draft.

I managed a small smile, and told him, "My lord, is that actually a prayer?"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Is it? I don't know. All I know is right now the Angel of Death is already probably looming over the prince and ready to slice his throat—"

"We can't be too sure," I cut in, though what he probably said was true. But of course I tried to think of positive things. "The prince is surrounded by a ton of guards—he probably wouldn't be reached by Jaffar that fast."

"Who knows," Lord Hector said. "Who knows."

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Blondie, this isn't right."

"Yeah, long hair. Not right at all. I wonder if my memory's wrong or if it's just because I had rest now..."

I stood between Legault and Matthew, who were talking as we marched in the cold snow. I managed a smirk at how they referred to each other—'blondie', 'long hair'... It's been a while since these two were practically at each other's necks and now they were allies, if not friends.

But I asked them, "...What's not right?"

Legault paused and kicked his boot into the snow. "_This."_

I dug my shoe into the snow as well, feeling the hard ground underneath it. _That _was it. The ground was _not _like this the last time we passed here. The ground was thick, unsteady, slippery snow when we treaded Regrada not too many hours ago. We were even unlucky enough to get a snowstorm. And right now it felt as if we were on solid ground.

"Even the horses are moving well..." Matthew noted, looking back at the horses pulling on our supplies, or being pulled on by their owners. _That _was a surprise. The biggest surprise of all. These horses aren't supposed to—not at all...

"Miracle," Legault said. "Blessing of the goddess. We'll reach the manse sooner than expected on this pace. Not sure if it's gonna be fast enough, but it's a big help."

Matthew actually scoffed at that. "_The _Black Fang Legault believes in gods?"

Legault shrugged. "Hey. I come from Regrada. If you lived in a snow field like this, blondie, you'd be a fool to not believe. You're at nature's mercy here. You'd do well to believe anything that can help."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Soon after Legault left to lead the group, helping Lady Lyn track down a path away from Regrada. I was walking with Matthew at my side once more, like I have walked beside him for what seems like years now. It was uneasy, as I thought back on Erk's words not too long ago. He was... I just... I don't know... Am I in-love with Matthew, as Erk suggested? And what would Erk do now? Would we stop being friends now?

"So..." Matthew began, almost as if in an effort to patch up the silence between us. "Mind telling me about mage boy now?"

I made the smallest frown at the question. "I told him I was thankful for his confession and I'd cherish it, but I don't think I can have the distraction of romance in this war."

"Ouch," Matt said. "Poor guy. You crushed his hopes!"

"I—I did? I didn't intend to, really!"

"You should have played around a bit," Matt suggested, with a smirk on his face, and I couldn't believe he's giving me that advice. "Erk's a nice boy. Got a good standing in Etruria, too, seeing how Lord Pent treats him like a son. He's a catch. You shouldn't have flat out refused him. Let him wait on you or something."

"But that would be _lying_, Matt." And then I added, "You sound like a matchmaker from a noble house."

He pouted, apparently not liking my comparison. "Just saying. From a logical point of view. When you get older, I just wonder if you'll find a guy as good as Erk. He seems to genuinely like you. He's serious about you. But it's your choice."

I made a puzzled expression, and then asked Matt, "...Would you like me to be with Erk? Is that what you want?"

He just gave a little snort of laughter, and put a hand on my head to mess up my hair again. "Silly. I'm just saying. Everything us up to you. I just want what makes you happy. If you turned down Erk, I just hope you don't regret it. But don't you worry. You're young. You'll meet a lot more people. You'll meet a man you'll like. Who knows, maybe you're about to meet him in this campaign pretty soon!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

And then Matthew asked, "What ever happened to the story?"

"W-What?"

"The god and goddess book. I don't see you reading it anymore. Are you through with it?"

I was silent for long, and I thought long and hard for said book but my head began to hurt just thinking of it. "I-I don't know Matt. Maybe I am. Or I think I lost it. I can't remember where I put it last. Maybe it's with the supplies. I can't remember how it ends, either..."

"Well _that's _curious," Matthew said, putting a hand to my hair and then messing it up badly. I pouted. "You're unlikely to forget. Too much pressure on you in this battle, huh?"

Yes, I thought. Too much pressure. "I just... don't remember," I told Matt. "Maybe I will after sometime. Besides, I know how it ends anyways. Everyone from Regrada knows the legend. They tell the stories around all the time. They say the goddess kills her husband and then regrets it and lives as a recluse, and cries forever, causing the endless snow that falls in Regrada."

"...What's the point of reading something when you already know how it ends?" Matt remarked. "And that is such an awful story. No happy ending for them, huh?"

There was silence for a while, and then Matt said, "...Right. Maybe happy endings don't exist after all."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_An ordinary person would have been tired of an entire day of following the prince of Bern—History lessons, hawking trips, dinner and entertainment, jousting practice, this and that...—but Anko had never been an ordinary person. She was still in tip-top condition at the end of the day, never a sign of lethargy in her actions, still like a cat ready to pounce at any given moment._

"_Thank you for the company for the entire day, Anko," Zephiel told her, and surprisingly gave he her a low bow, to show his gratitude._

_Anko chuckled, and offered him a quick bow herself. When she rose, she said, "Oh, please my lord. It's not like it was a chore. I was merely passing time. It is not like you should owe me for this. Not at all."_

_Zephiel straightened himself and smiled as well, as he told her, "Well, I can say Murdock was hardly missed today with your company."_

_Anko's smirk turned to an expression of slight disgust. "You seriously liken me to Stone-face, Zephiel? No thanks. I don't plan to play your royal guard for all time, majesty."_

"_I'm not likening you to him," he said. "Merely I was stating something. Either way, thank you. I hope you'd fare well—but if you'd still like to have one of the rooms for yourself, I can tell—"_

"_No," she quickly snapped, and shook her head. "I'll sleep in town. I told you I already have a room. And no worries about me faring well, Zephiel—I'm a Bernese spy. I can handle a bit of trouble. It is you who should be careful, my lord. You have no guard for the evening."_

"_I'll be careful," he said, and she just nodded, turned her back on him, and walked away. He was used to that. Anko appears out of nowhere and disappears without a word—one of her many incurable traits. He headed into his room, to say his prayers before he went to bed._

_But Anko would not be making the trip to her own room in town. There will be no sleep tonight, tonight the work is just beginning. She silently treads the manse halls, stops before a heavily curtained wall, and slips her hand into her satchel. Out comes a gemstone, color the iciest blue in the subtle moonlight, cut like a diamond. She gently lifts the red heavy curtains from the wall and feels around for an engraving on the wall that fit the face of her gemstone perfectly._

_-Ah. There it is._

_She presses the gemstone to the engraving, and a passageway in the wall opens._

_Work's just beginning. There'll be no sleep tonight._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Eerily, we sped through Regrada's snow fields. The slippery, challenging terrain of the snow fields had become something short of a plain with no obstacle at all. Even the mountainous terrain that greeted us when we made it past the snow—it was as if they were not mountains at all.

"...Did we actually get out of Regrada faster than we got in?" Matt beside me remarked, amused.

"...Am I just dreaming or are we really just getting to the manse in what seems like minutes?" someone else—Wil—remarked.

All I remembered were Legault's words. _Blessing of the gods. _What do they want, now? What are their intentions now?

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_Minutes, hours even, ticked by as Anko waited silently in the secret lanes of Bern Keep, keeping an eye on the outer surroundings, keeping an eye on Zephiel himself, where she could not be seen. The silence was absolute, apart from Zephiel's murmurs of prayer. The boy must be nervous, Anko thought. About his coming of age, of his family, or his responsibilities. And deep that night, finally, two figures emerged..._

_...So this is the Angel of Death. The one Xarin talks about. The man who they say is a killing machine._

_She has finally seen him after what seemed like an eternity of waiting. Inside the walls that led to the prince's chambers, behind those walls—she stood still, encased in darkness, seeing only through the gaps in the stone. In his room, Zephiel was making little noises, mayhap shifting in his bed or browsing through a book or still in that deep prayer. Whatever it was, he was still awake. Just outside the room, at the hallway leading to it, his assassins came. The Angel of Death one of them._

_Frankly, Anko was not much impressed by his appearances. He was dark-skinned and red-haired, lean built, with eyes that seemed sharp enough to catch the slightest movements. Yes, he's sharp. Yes, he seems like he can kill. Yes, it seems like he can slice the prince in half without even blinking. But the presence of a little girl by his side sort of softened him._

_And, after all, what was the difference of this killing machine to her, or to those older, dirtier, darker spies of Bern? They kill, too. They are, in a way, heartless, too. And more than that, they were snakes, the very personification of betrayal. But this man—this Jaffar—was no betrayer. It seemed he knew nothing but following orders. He was not a spy who'd put on masks and call someone friend and then stab him in the back. _

_Predictable._

_Something in the darkness of the secret passage moves, and some sort of rodent crawls over Anko's shoes, but she remains still, listening to the conversation beyond the walls, between the two assassins._

"_...General Murdock, the man protecting the prince, should be away," the little girl talked, but more of to herself. Jaffar stayed still, it was almost as if he did not hear a thing from her. "The king concocted some errand to call him from Zephiel's side…There are no guards around. This is…an easy jobs, isn't it? I…I can do this! This is my first mission, you know? I guess I'm a little nervous, but…I mustn't fail. Mustn't let Mother down."_

_They continue to walk the halls. Jaffar, silently. The girl—her footsteps would wake Anko in a blink. Or anyone else, for the matter. But there would be no guards to wake tonight. Heavily drunk, Anko thought, by her doing, by the king's doing._

_If Kumiko doesn't arrive in time, and they carry on with the plan, and I'm not able to defend Zephiel—then, by the gods, I'm a failure, father, and the future of Bern dies with me. Why'd I ever do this? I must be driven mad._

_No turning back now, though._

"_Are you ready, Jaffar?" The little girl asks the assassin._

_He pauses, and does not even look at her when he spoke. "I've…no desire to be a part of your blundering…If you fail, I will, without hesitation, finish the target and then you."_

_The girl shudders. "What...?"_

"_Don't be so naive as to expect help from "friends." …Remember that," he said._

_True, true. Anko nods._

"_I…I knew that," whispered the girl. "You don't have to tell me…I'm a member of the Black Fang, after all..." But her voice was brimming with uncertainty._

_Jaffar only stood silent, emotionless._

"…_I won't fail," she said. "I will become worthy…I will. Mother will be proud of me. She will see the daughter I've become, and she will love me."_

_And for a second that she allowed, Anko gasped, and thought of a boy who had said the same things. I won't fail. I will become worthy. And then Father would be proud of me._

_Poor girl. _

_Poor Zephiel._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_No guards, no guards, left and right. None at all. Just what Mother told us. It's an empty castle. Almost creepy... I swear no one's here, but Jaffar keeps looking so terse. Looks at the wall, even, as if there were eyes hiding behind, watching our every moves. And then—whispers! Someone's talking!_

"No," Jaffar only told Nino when she voiced out her opinion. "Someone's... Praying."

The voice came from the prince's room. In a moment of pure curiosity, Nino pressed her ears to the door of the prince's private chamber, and listened in on his prayer.

"I offer this prayer onto thee," the voice was solemn, at ease yet with an edge to it, the edge that means every word said is absolutely meant. "My coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow. As the prince of Bern, I've tried…I've tried not to be an embarrassment to my father. I know I've not met with his expectations. But I will try harder. I will please him. I vow to do better. For him. ...Tomorrow I will be a man…So this is my last wish as a foolish child. It's the same one I've asked of you every night for all these years, but…"

The stubborn and determined tone was now replaced by a shaking voice, the voice of someone on the verge of tears. "P-Please, bring Father and Mother together again. Please, let the day come when Guinivere and I and her mother…When all of us can live together happily in the castle..."

That could have been my prayer, Nino thought.

But then Jaffar said, "It's time…"

Nino didn't even have the chance to stop him, but she opened her mouth to do so, but he was so quick that it was too late. He flung open the door to the prince's chamber, ran to him, and delivered a quick handslice to his neck that cut him from consciousness. Even the prince was unable to breathe a word, or offer resistance, shocked by the swiftness of it all.

Nino walked into the room, her body shuddering, and she knew it.

Jaffar was standing over the prince's limp body on the floor. "That will leave him unconscious for quite some time. Now, the time has come for you do your part…" And he walked over to Nino, taking her little hands, placing his sharp dagger into their grip.

Nino stayed still.

He shoved the weapon into her hand now. "…Do it," he commanded.

Afraid to anger Jaffar, she held onto the weapon, and made a move towards the prince. Jaffar watched her intently, and for Nino, it felt like an eternity, walking to the prince's side, pulling the dagger up into the air to strike him, strike him dead-

"I…can't!" Nino said, thrusting the dagger to the floor, turning her back on the prince, turning back on Jaffar, too.

"What! What did you say? Nino-!"

"Listen to him…" Nino said, as softly as a girl in confession. "All he wants is his parents' love… To be accepted... He's just like me." And then she looked up straight into Jaffar's eyes. "No matter how I try, Mother always looks at me like I were nothing. Her eyes are so filled with disappointment. She's never held me…Not even once…"

And her eyes turned glossy, and she started tearing up.

Jaffar stared at her for a moment, his mouth unconsciously agape. And then he was rigid as stone again. "Stop this foolishness!" he said. "I told you! I will not permit you to ruin my opportunity!"

"I know…" Nino whispered, but Jaffar heard it clear as day in the silence. "Do as you must, Jaffar. I won't resist. You can do it easily. But…please don't hurt the prince. …For pity's sake…"

And then she swallowed her words, and came out saying, "… I'm ready to die." And then she closed her eyes, and stayed still, as if waiting for Jaffar's blades to come after her.

But they didn't. Jaffar stared at her for what seemed like an eternity for Nino, as she stood there, eyes closed, waiting for a death that was not coming. For Jaffar had already made his decision, and he knew it. He already knew that Nino was not capable of this mission. How can someone so kind and innocent be capable of hurting anyone? He knew Nino would not carry out the mission. He anticipated it, in fact.

He put a hand to Nino's wrist and tugged on it, gently. "…Come. "

Nino opened her eyes, confused. "What?"

"We're leaving. Hurry."

"Jaffar?"

But he was already pulling on her wrist, dragging her away from the prince's rooms, out into the corridors, towards the exit.

He was helping her get away.

"Bu-But if you do this…Jaffar, you'll…" She croaked, worried for him.

"Don't worry about me. Hurry up," he said. And then he stilled when he felt another presence in the hallway, emerging from a corner... and he knew who it was and who it was coming for. _No!_

"Hello, Jaffar," the woman's greeting was sweet, but edged all the same. And from the corner of the hallway emerged Ursula, one of the Four Fangs, and the right hand of Sonia, if Jaffar may say so. She, being one of the Four Fangs, was a lethal woman herself, train in the use of magic and deadly at it. No weapon could be seen in her person, in her dark colored dress with a cut at the neckline that would have made even the most trained eye to wander. It offered no distraction to Jaffar, however. There were more important things. In the darkness of the manse Jaffar could not make out if Ursula brought back-up with her—she should have, of course. But how many? Ursula didn't seem to be seeing well in the dark herself, unable to make out Nino's figure hiding behind Jaffar's cloaks. "Finished already?" she asked. "Such magnificent skill. Is this why they call you the Angel of Death? Sonia told me that you were behaving oddly, but…it appears her fears were groundless."

Jaffar almost breathed out a sigh of relief, but Nino, in her innocence, showed herself from behind Jaffar and croaked out, "I'm sorry! It's not Jaffar's fault! It was me! The prince…I couldn't…"

"Nino!" Jaffar scolded, but he knew it was too late.

The impressed expression on Ursula's face slowly shifted to confusion, and then rage. "What's all this? Why is the girl still alive?"

"...What?" Nino asked, suddenly solid as stone.

"You received Lady Sonia's orders, did you not?" said Ursula to Jaffar. "You were to dispose of the worthless, little—"

"No!" Nino wailed, sobbing before Ursula could even finish her words.

"Hold your tongue. You will not speak another word," Jaffar told Ursula, the coldness of his tone feeling like cold, sharp metal, threatening to kill.

Ursula stared at the Angel of Death, staring him down, wondering what in the world has happened to him._ And they said he had a heart of stone._ But how that happened—none of that mattered now. He was the enemy now. "…... So that's how it is? Jaffar, do you plan on betraying Lord Nergal?"

"I will not let Nino die. Get in my way, and I'll kill you."

It was Nino who shuddered at the audacity of those words, not in fear, but in sheer surprise. "Jaffar-!"

And Ursula began to understand. It was Nino. It was the naive, sweet little girl, capable of making the heart of a monster like Jaffar work again. "…So you have some human emotion left in you after all. You always seemed just like those creepy morphs. I bet you didn't kill the prince, either."

And Ursula vanished into the semi-darkness, but her voice could be heard carrying in the night, calling for the Black Fang, giving careful instructions. Douse the lights. Block the entrances. Kill the prince and the traitors. Finish it fast.

Jaffar slipped on his dark cloak onto Nino, and told her, "Go now… I will buy you time."

"N-No!" Nino shook her head. "You must come, too, Jaffar!"

"Nino…You must live. You are worthy of living."

And he disappeared as well, into the direction that Ursula went off to. And he was gone.

"No! Wait! Don't go! Jaffar! Jaffar!"

o0o0o0o0o0o

"This is the royal manse. ...Finally," Lord Eliwood said, with only little relief, as we stood in the darkness before the manse. We made our way not by the front gate but by a roundabout route—hardly any trouble, there was no security anywhere—and I feared for the prince, thinking that he was probably entirely alone in that manse.

The fire from the torch in Lord Hector's hand flickered, that our only source of illumination as the final light in the sky diminished and left only darkness. A couple more torches were handed out and lit, and Lyn stared curiously on at the surroundings, and into the manse.

"The lights have been doused," she said. True, the manse and its surroundings lacked any light, as if it were an abandoned fort. "But... that's the sound of fighting," she observed, her trained ears making out the sounds of battle that drew close to whispers. "What's going on?"

"I don't know... but if they're still fighting, we might not be too late!" Lord Hector said. "Let's hurry, Eliwood! Lyn!" And then he turned to me. "Kumiko! We rely on your quick orders! Swiftness as much as precision is essential."

"True," Lord Eliwood said. "And we have to protect the prince!"

o0o0o0o0o0o

I've made lists in my head and in my logbook a few moments ago, sorting out our ranks, thinking of who was capable of fighting and who needed to rest, and who was better off to stay and wait, and who was best to take. A lot of our members were injured and dead bushed, and so the strongest and the toughest remain standing to fight this battle before dawn. Time was of the essence—we had to save the prince! And at the same time, we had to disappear unseen, since we couldn't afford dragging Lycia into the political battles within Bern. Only a choice number could go. We had to save the prince and that was that—then disappear unseen, we had to leave once the prince was secure and safe before and Bern guard catches us and questions.

Merlinus was busy handing out the weapons to the fighters that would come, and torches were being lit up—it was dead dark. There were two entrances to the manse, both locked, but it was just the right number for our two thieves. I've split the teams and let everyone else stay behind by the supplies, to wait for us and get ready for a quick escape.

In our group, Matthew was busy at the manse gate, picking at innumerable locks and keyholes. He muttered and cursed and cursed as he worked—"stupid Bernese locks", I heard him say.

As we were waiting for the locks to give in, I was approached by that man—Harken, blonde and handsome in his Pheraean armor, sword, and shield. "Are you our tactician, Kumiko?" he asked.

I gave him the slight nod of head and looked at him, wondering if he'd give me a critical look for being young, or for being a girl. But he didn't. There was nothing I could read in his eyes. He only introduced himself. "I am Harken. I beg your forbearance. Lord Eliwood has ordered me to follow your commands in combat. I care not where I meet death. Just guide me wisely."

"I will," I said, absently, as I stared at him and wondered what in the world was there for Isadora to love instead of Legault. And then Harken left my side.

"...God, was he stiff," I breathed out as he turned his back on me.

Someone beside me chuckled. I turned and found Legault, torch in hand, getting ready to leave as his own group—to go the other way—readied themselves. "The perfect definition of a boring knight," he remarked.

"I wonder what Isadora sees in him that isn't in you!" I said. "You're not boring, uncle Legault! And not stiff."

"Aye. But still... she made the right choice. I'm an old leftover. And he got there first. First come first served they say. Finders keepers."

And then his group was ready, and he left. And then Matt let out a triumphant "Yes!" as the locks surrendered to his picks and the men pushed the manse doors open.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Zephiel! My lord Zephiel, wake up!"

Zephiel opened his eyes, and he felt as if it took some great force for him to be able to do it. His vision was blurred at first, but then it cleared and he saw Anko, an urgent look on her face. And then his head began to throb and hurt and he put up a hand to it and touched something wet. Blood.

Confused, he tried to talk, to tell her everything, to absorb everything that was happening. "Ahh...Ow...What's...My room...That man..." And he let his eyes wander to look for that man, but he found none. "He's gone. What's going on?"

"We're—"

But his ears picked up quicker than her words. He heard the sounds of battle, the weapons clashing, the feet stomping and dashing on the castle floors, the armors clanking. "We're under attack!"

"Yes, sadly," said Anko, as she helped the prince sit up and examined the blood on his head. The deep red stained his blonde locks. Did Jaffar do this? Unlikely. No blade was put to the prince, but he must have hit his head on something. It did not matter. She was going to heal him, and no trace would be remained either way.

"How many? ...10?...20? ...Anko, we have to get away." But Anko didn't seem to hear him, and instead got up and produced a bottle of elixir from her satchel. She knelt and began healing the fresh wounds on his head. He cancelled his own suggestion, anyway. "...No...That's wrong. That's not the way. If we run, they'll simply follow and surround... We should wait and face them here."

He had a sound plan, a sound hold on tactics, just as should be expected from any man taught by her father. "Yes my lord. Please stay and wait here. Here is your blade." And she took a silver sword and placed it in his hand. "I'll try to get help. I'll divert them. Stay here, my lord."

"No, Anko," he said. "It's unsafe. Stay here, and let us wait together for the guards to overcome this. You can't go out there alone!"

_There will be no guards. Not so soon._ "Zephiel, I am your subject before I am your friend. I trust you can protect yourself. Stay here and don't do anything stupid. I'll bring help."

He was about to protest, but as quickly as that, she was gone.

o0o0o0o0o0o

There was little battle at first, since when we entered the manse, we were met by twisting hallways and more and more locked doors. Matt was sweating before the fighting began, and Lord Hector, always holding the torch over Matt's work, was tapping a foot impatiently, sweating himself despite the cold weather, nervous, no doubt. In this long, twisting puzzle of hallways, how were we supposed to find the prince?

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

It only took a few doors—two to be exact—for Legault and the rest who were with him to find out what happened to the castle guards. In a pantry were much of the castle guards—around twenty, all fallen over the floor and tables, the smell of drinks present in the air.

They were all shocked, and then Rebecca said, "...Are they dead?"

Lyn, already walking through the bodies, said, "No. Dead drunk, more likely."

Dart made a snort of laughter as he picked up the bottles of wine and ale and mead from the tables and counters, and he smirked as he thought of plundering those as well and taking them back to camp. Oh what good times these would make.

"Don't even think about it," Raven spoke, almost as if reading what was in Dart's mind. Raven pulled a mug off a snoring guard's hand and sniffed it suspiciously. "This is uncanny. They're _all _drunk. Someone must have done this."

"Maybe they've overcelebrated the prince's coming-of-age?" Lucius suggested.

"Should I heal them?" Priscilla asked.

Lyn shook her head, and told her, "Maybe we shouldn't. If that happened we'll have to go through the endless ordeal of explaining who we are and why we're here. If fate is cruel, they may even pin _us_ as the assassins."

They walked through continuous dining rooms and found the same thing all throughout—drunk soldiers and spilled, overflowing supply of drinks. Lyn echoed Raven's thoughts. "This _is_ uncanny. Something must have, someone must have..."

And then Karel just pulled out a platter of dark green, finely ground powder from behind the bar counter. Everyone else crowded around it to examine it.

"What would that be?" Lowen asked.

Heath, a native of Bern and a wyvern knight, knew immediately what it was. "We use it to tame wild wyverns, to calm them. A little more and it would put them to sleep. It's effective on wyverns and even more lethal on men. These soldiers would be knocked out for a while."

"It seems so, but we have to find the prince's rooms at least," Legault pointed out importantly. "And trust me this manse could prove itself to be a maze."

"Then any notion as to how?" Lyn asked Legault. "We can't just wake these soldiers and ask then where the prince is. If they recognized us..."

Legault thought silently, and then his gaze fell on Heath. And Heath tensed for a bit when he found out that everyone was looking at him as well, catching on Legault's idea. "Well, I don't think one of these men would find it odd if wyvern knight in Bern's armor would ask where the prince is. He's come to deliver an urgent message from the king that must not be postponed at all, so all his questions must be answered."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

We found what we were looking for in a short while—as we turned a corner in a hallway and Matthew opened another door, the main hall finally greeted us, and enemies—though only a small group of them—were present, quickly dealt with by Kent and Sain and Wil. Kent simply threw a javelin as Wil shot an arrow, while Sain, preferring to look more dramatic, rode to the enemies up close in his horse and dealt with them with his lance.

"There _are _enemies, but they're scarce!" Lord Hector exclaimed.

"Maybe we're going the wrong way..." Lord Eliwood said.

"Maybe they're through with the prince and those were just the final assassins that were about to leave," Erk suggested.

Everyone else looked at him sharply for his dark suggestion. Matthew, unable to help his tongue, actually said, "Hey, if you're down, don't take it out on us. We're all trying to work hard for the future of Elibe here."

Erk flinched, and immediately took back what he said. "I'm sorry."

There was a tense silence, which Kent broke. "...As awful as that sounds, it can't be ruled out," Kent said. "All the reason for us to make haste."

Lord Hector nodded. "Let's go! I think I hear more fighting nearby!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_This is none of her concern. She doesn't belong here. Not at all. I can't believe that woman managed to produce a daughter as sweet as Nino. The girl is not like her at all. She does not deserve a life like this._

Jaffar thinks, thinks, thinks, as he tries to even his breathing from running in the halls of the manse. The enemies—all Black Fang, but only recently—are running after him, and quite lousily, as Jaffar could easily hear their footsteps as they didn't bother to attempt at stealth at all. That is not what it would take to defeat an Angel of Death. He was confident he could defeat them, but that was not the point at all. It was distraction, so that Nino could escape.

The enemies turn around as they feel and hear a shuffling, and a quick flash of a black, tattered cloak disappears into a corner of the hallway. He was quick, deadly quick, and when the enemies gave chase and found him, he was already poised for the attack, and the Angel of Death gave them their sentence.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

_What in the world is happening? I don't understand anything at all! What Ursula said—was it true? Mother... she wants me killed? But why? Does she truly loathe me so? And Jaffar... why is he doing this now? What have I done to receive his kindness? It's always been as he said—he should have carried out the law of the Fang. I would have rather died there a Black Fang then receive mercy now as a traitor. My mother would never forgive me! But she doesn't... She wants me dead!_

_Oh!_

Nino made a sudden halt in her mad run throughout the maze of hallways of a manse, as out of nowhere, emerging from a corner, a dark-robed enemy emerges from a corner. He—or she, Nino could never tell in those robes—was a member of Black Fang. That much she could tell, because of the dark cloak.

_I was Black Fang too. I was... or I am! ...Or I was! What's going on now? Who is my enemy? Who is my friend? Who is who, I don't know anything anymore!_

"Stop!" she calls out. "This is all a big misunderstanding! I'm Black Fang, too!"

It did not work. "Traitors must be killed," the man—a man now, judging by his voice—said. "That is the law of the Fang."

And he pulled out his sword from its case, its silver shining in the faintest moonlight. "I—I-!" Nino couldn't find anything to say. She was too confused, too panicked to even remember the chant to the magic tome in her trembling hands.

"Get down, girl!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

In the last instant, Nino heard the words and dropped down to the floor as a hand-axe flew overhead. She caught her breath at the timing of the thing—if she had knelt down any later, the hand-axe would probably be sticking at the back of her head already. But as it was, it made its way to the enemy, hitting him on his chest, and a javelin followed from overhead. Nino looked up. A pegasus and its rider were flying overhead the high ceilings of the manse. And she looked behind her. There were people who were coming towards her, some cloaked, some not, but obviously, they were not Black Fang.

The man who had thrown the hand-axe was heavily armored, and from the faint torchlight that came overhead—the pegasus rider was holding it, maybe—she could make out his features. He was a huge man, tall and seemingly impenetrable in his armor. His hair was blue, and his features most masculine—but never overly so, not like her father, Brendan Reed. She was more likely reminded of Linus, only Linus preferred a sword to an axe. Only Linus would never shoot her such an angry look, and she could see by his expression that it seemed he regretted saving her, that he had not wanted to do it at all.

_I don't understand what's going on anymore. Who is my enemy? Who is my friend? Who is who?_

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Nino!"

Her green hair was hard to miss, even in the semi-darkness. She was huffing tired from all the fighting, such a small little girl, but she held herself together despite all that she was—so small, so fragile. And then a thought hit me that to the bigger, older, more capable members of our group, I must look like that, too. So small.

I ran up to her, into the darkness. She was still wary, looking around at all the members of our group, staring at Lord Hector in particular, who just saved her with his hand axe. And then she turned to face me, maybe she recognized me, and in a second regarded me as non-hostile. "You! Are you from the palace?" she asked. Despite how brave she sounded, there was still an underlying tremble in her voice. "The prince is in his room! Save him! I'll take care of anything that happens out here!"

"Wait," I told her, "...You're...Nino, right?

She stepped towards me and took a closer look at me. "What! How—Oh. I've seen you before!"

From the corners of my eyes I saw Lord Hector and Lord Eliwood exchange looks, wondering how in the world I knew Nino. But I didn't mind. Let them think what they want to for now. I told Nino, "Yes, I know. There's something I must tell you..."

And then I told her everything, the words pouring out quickly, in a way that was urgent, but with words clear that she might get the gist of everything and believe me. Everyone stayed clear of the talking and instead took Lord Eliwood's orders to move along and chase the enemies, leaving me to talk to Nino.

"...What? But...you must be lying..." she said, uncertain. "That's... not possible..."

"I'm sorry, but it's all true!" I said, urgently. "Ninian, Nils, the Black Fang, everyone... they're innocent! They've become nothing more than tools of Nergal..."

"...It can't be..."

"I know you don't want to believe me," I said, "but...it's the truth. The only truth. ...Nino, you can come with us. You understood the prince's feelings. I know you'll see what's right."

After what seemed like an eternity of silence, she made a decision. "...I... I will do this," she said, "to repay the kindness you showed us before. I don't think a person who helped us would be capable of such a lie. So I'll come. And I'll try to see all this on my own."

o0o0o0o0o0o

"_How _in the world do you know Nino?" Matthew asked me, as he went to my side as Nino tried to find her place in the group and found it beside Erk, another mage and a familiar face to her, who quickly examined her for scratches and then lent her another Magic tome. The irony, I thought. Erk and Nino over there, Matthew and me over here.

"I just do," I told Matt, my gaze still on Erk and Nino. "There are some things better left unanswered, Matthew."

He didn't answer, but I seemed to know what he was thinking. _If you don't tell me, maybe she will._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Oh, it's you! I know you!" Nino greeted Erk, happy to see a familiar face.

"I think it would be prudent if you pretended you didn't know me before," Erk said, making Nino think carefully about what he meant. "My name's Erk. Are you injured or hurt anywhere?"

Nino shook her head. "Not really. My name's Nino!"

_I know, _Erk thought. _I know._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Jaffar breathed out heavily, as the ironclad enemy General gave him a bit of trouble. His armor was impenetrable—even Jaffar's blades had trouble cutting through them, only leaving scratches in the fine metal armor. And he couldn't even approach the enemy, as he was swinging his lance ferociously, and to get close was an ordeal. Every bit of the enemy was armored—no weak point to target anywhere.

The enemy lunged at him again, and Jaffar quickly avoided by crouching down and rolling to his right. Jaffar threw some throwing daggers towards the general, but those were deflected easily by his armor.

And then, all of a sudden, a force came, running into the enemy, causing him to hang on precariously for balance in all his heavy armor. It was a woman, Jaffar saw, features Sacaean, purple hair bunned at the back of her head. The general turned around, at a loss for balance, but managing to swing his lance toward the woman. The woman sidestepped to avoid, and cartwheeled away impressively. She pulled out a sword hanging from her belt, its thickness and make pointed out that it was an armorslayer. And then she attacked the general strategically—a quick slash at the side of his chestplate, at the locking metals, which the armorslayer cut through like butter. The straps and locks of the chestplate cut through, the armor fell heavily down to the ground with a huge clank. The general was left without a chestplate, in which Jaffar found it right to throw another dagger, and this time, it dug through deeply in the enemy's flesh without difficulty.

The enemy fell down to the ground, and the woman looked on at him momentarily. And then she looked up and met Jaffar's eyes.

"You're tired," she said. "It's best you hide in a corner and avoid them. That one proved to be a difficult enemy. Fang's got more of them, as you should know."

"Who are you?" Jaffar asked.

"What does it matter? One day I could be an enemy, the next, an ally. Take this." She tossed her armorslayer towards him. "They're wearing Bernese armor. The straps and weak points are here," and she drew a line just below her collarbone, at her sides, and at her shoulders. "Just so you know, Angel of Death. Be safe."

And she turned around and ran away, fast as lightning. _Even faster than me._

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Legault was more familiar with Bernese locks and keyholes than Matthew was, so he should have been faster than the other thief when it came to picking locks, but he had to admit, the manse's locks were difficult even for a good Bernese thief.

"Any longer, Legault?" Heath asked, as he stood there waiting for Legault to finish picking the locks of the treasure room, Hyperion impatiently trashing his tail lightly.

"Might take a while," Legault said, as he drew back his lockpick and made a few more adjustments to it and tried again. "Dont you worry about me, handsome, go help out Lady Lyn and the rest. And you be careful for mages!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"We don't have to defeat them all!" Lyn shouted, as her group was busily fighting in a long corridor. She had just finished dealing with an enemy swordmaster—that was a hard time, how skilled these Black Fang they were fighting were! And everyone else was in conflict with the enemy. Lowen, with Rebecca riding with him, was dealing with another cavalier as the archer shot arrows from her position on Lowen's horse. Raven was engaging an enemy general, aided by Karel. Karel—there was something faintly Sacaean about him, Lyn thought. Lucius backed them up with magic, and Lyn closed her eyes as a Shine spell illuminated the whole corridor, blinding the enemies senseless, with which everyone took the time to deal the final blows.

The enemies, dead, the corridor was silent again. Lyn said, "We just have to hold out until dawn. They can't complete an assassination in broad daylight, can they? The soldiers would have to come to their senses by then. What's important is to secure the prince. Let's go!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

I was the one who had to run into the prince's room—finally, the prince's room!—as the rest of the group went ahead to secure the area and confront enemies. "Your Majesty!" I called out to him, as I entered his chamber.

He turned sharply towards me, curly golden hair tossing in the air as he turned his head. His hand quickly went to the hilt of a sword that was hanging on his belt, expression alert. But then his eyes met mine, and then the expression shifted to puzzle. "Oh," he said. He stared at me from head to foot. "Oh."

He looked into my eyes then. And suddenly—suddenly!—something inside me felt odd. Odd but _right_. It was as if I was facing a stranger, but a stranger that I have already met before. Maybe old friends who haven't seen each other for decades. Or maybe it was just the effect that a prince of Bern would have on any common girl.

I blinked, suddenly lost for words. I—I… I'm face to face with the prince of Bern and he was staring at me and—and what were you supposed to do in such a situation? I twiddled my hair in my fingers—and stopped it when I realized that wasn't what I was supposed to do. And then it struck me—I curtsied. A very urgent, very hurried, very inelegant curtsy.

"Prince Zephiel," I said, when I came up from my bow, and I dared to look at him. He was so white and well-dressed and clean while I was so filthy and sweaty and was practically dressed in rags next to him. I blushed, embarrassed at the fact.

He slightly tilted a head to the side, and asked, "Who are you?"

Who—Who? I can't just say my name. I can't say my affiliation with the lords as well—Bern would react badly if it's discovered that there are Lycian nobles fighting in their land. I can say Genevieve Regrada… but it wouldn't make sense for a forgotten heiress to suddenly turn up, now of all times. He might think I was the one who sent the assassins after him. So what do I—

"…You're not one of my mother's maids, are you? But what are you… But you look familiar…"

"I-I'm… I mean, we're here to rescue you! There are enemies in the castle! Please, stay back. We'll do the fighting."

He stared at me like I was speaking another language. "Excuse me?"

I blinked. "Your Majesty?"

"Do you speak truly? _You? _Fight? You're a girl. And I know neither your name nor your motives. Why should I trust you?"

A girl! So he didn't trust me because I'm a girl! That… that… he was just like all those other nobles! "What does it matter if I'm a girl?" I snapped at him. "I'm as brave as a man and as efficient as one! Stay there! I'll make sure nothing happens to you!"

…I can't believe I just yelled at the Prince of Bern. Embarrassed and annoyed, I turned my back on him, to run away.

But then he spoke—and he actually laughed. "Alright," he said. "I shall trust you. I place my life in your hands."

"W-What?" I asked, turning back towards him.

"If you were an assassin. I would already be dead," he said. "And besides… your face looks familiar…"

My face? Did he know me—no, did he know Genevieve? I don't think so. I've never been introduced to him. It must be the darkness. I must resemble someone else that he knows of. "We've never met before," I told him. "You must be mistaking me for someone else."

I began to run away, but then he said, "Wait! You're Regrada's daughter!"

I gasped—he did know!—and that all the more made me want to run from him. I felt his hand reach out for me, for my shoulder, but I took a step off, and ran. His fingers caught onto one of my braids, though, and pulled out the twine that kept it together. But I didn't care. I didn't turn back. I ran.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Do you think the prince is secure already?" Sain asked Kent, sounding almost cheerful in the middle of the battle, but then again, he was Sain, he always sounded cheerful.

"I should think so. Kumiko would have warned him and talked to him about everything. He would listen to her. What's important is that we secure the perimeter."

"You're right, Kent. But I wonder where those—"

And then Sain's words were cut off when a loud clap and sizzle of magic was heard—and a blinding flash, causing Kent and Sain's horses to neigh wildly and panic, and the next second they knew, a current of Bolting flashed overhead to before them, luckily missing them by a little.

"G-Goodness! What was that?" Sain yelled in surprise.

"They're using long-range magic!" Kent yelled, for the rest of the group to hear.

"So it seems!" A voice came from overhead, and Sain and Kent looked up to see Fiora on her pegasus, yet it was Wil, riding with Fiora, who spoke. He had a torch in his hand and as Fiora's mount flew by the high chandeliers of the manse, Wil took the time to light the chandelier with his torch. Illumination from the chandelier lit up the area, helping them see more in the dark.

"Good idea, Wil!" Sain cheered the archer.

"It seems they're using a lot of magic!" Fiora called out to the group below. "I should take the lead! Pegasus are highly resistant to magic! We have to find the spellcasters before they hit us with more long-range magic!"

Lord Eliwood gave the affirmative, and Fiora led the group as they pressed onward to find the enemy.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The prince's room was nearby, that much Heath knew. He was good with directions, and he remembered exactly what that drunk soldier told him, the directions to the prince's rooms, and he knew he was nearby. Riding Hyperion, he went ahead of the group, his mount avoiding the numerous chandeliers hanging from the manse's high ceilings. That was a good sign, he thought. The halls were decorated nicely, even the ceilings, this path must lead to something—

And then it came unexpectedly—a bright flash, a loud sound, and then next thing Heath heard was Hyperion wailing in pain and his own body being run through by a strong current of magic. _What was that?_ And he slipped from consciousness.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Hey! Hey! Wake up!"

Heath opened his eyes to see a familiar face in front of him—the blurred face was familiar, the voice was familiar. And then the focus of his vision returned and he found that he was facing Anko. He looked around, and found himself in a small, dark room, the smallest light only creeping through holes in the wall.

"You're... Kumi's friend, right?"

"No time to talk. Drink this," she said, and she shoved the mouth of a bottle of Elixir to Heath's lips. Heath took the bottle from her and helped himself, feeling the liquid's restoring magic work its way into his body.

"What a surprise that was, when I was just running the hallways and all of a sudden you and your wyvern come falling from the skies—"

"My wyvern!" Heath suddenly remenbered, looking around panicked for Hyperion. "Where is he? Where did you take him?"

Akno looked defensive at Heath's sudden tone, worried to a point of accusing. "I just couldn't drag it to safety! The thing was passed out and it wouldn't budge so I thought I'd just save you—"

"No!" Heath cried out, and got up, immediately trying to run off, but then he looked around and found that the room had no exit or entrance at all, all solid walls. "Let me out of here! I have to do something!"

"Easy, wyvern knight!" Anko said, as she got up herself and produced her gemstone from her satchel, icy blue and diamond cut, and felt around the wall for another indentation, and then pressed the face of her gemstone there. The wall moved a bit, loosened, and Anko pushed it open. Heath immediately ran out, to find himself back in the manse corridors. Anko took her time closing the hidden compartment, pushing the wall back close, and then she handed her gemstone to Heath. "Hold it for me, please."

Heath took it, and Anko continued to shove the wall close. She wasn't exactly the strongest person on the continent, so it took a while. Why doesn't that wyvern knight help me? She just shook her head, thinking of the horrible manners of wyvern knights, and when the hidden door was finally closed, she turned back to find that Heath was already gone, no doubt in search of Hyperion.

"I save your life and not even a word of thanks? Great," Anko muttered, to herself, but just shrugged it off as she thought of the things that had to be done. Daylight was coming, Anko knew. It was about time to wake up the guards.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Finally, finally, the groups merged, meeting each other in the main hall, and that was when, finally, Nino found Jaffar, trailing behind Lyn's group. She smiled and ran to him as quickly as she could, and when she reached him, she gave him a tight embrace.

"Jaffar!"

Jaffar looked surprised at the girl clinging to him, embracing him tight. "Nino? ...I told you to flee."

"No, no! These people came and helped me! Hurry, Jaffar! Come with me! Come with us!"

"No. There's no need to save a life without worth. There is nothing for me outside this battle."

"Jaffar..."

"I am a corpse," he said. "I have been dead since the day I was born. Leave me..."

"No! If you're not coming with us, then I'm staying with you! I do not want you to die, Jaffar!"

To his surprise, something wet touched upon his clothes. Nino's tears. "Nino..."

"Daylight is coming soon!" she said. "And then we'll both see a new morning together. We'll face the dawn together, Jaffar! We will."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

As we battled onward and onward, the dark skies turned brighter and brighter. When we knew that dawn was approaching, the enemies properly withdrew, and we let out cheers of joy. The battle was over. It was time to go. Time to go—before the guards caught us, questioned us, and wrongly pinned us as the culprits. We took what we can, treasures from the treasure rooms, gold and weapons and tomes, and we made a deal of carrying them. Priscilla and Erk stood by Hyperion, shot from a Bolting tome, and the mount was feeling weak but it got up and rose, trying to keep strong. All the while, Heath was supporting him, and a notion struck me that Heath would have a hard time finding a lover, if he loved no one like he did his mount. But then that was a good sign. If he loved his mount like that, how much more will he love a woman?

Among the things that w were taking with us were Nino and Jaffar. Jaffar, suffering from a small wound, was approached by the only one who was not scared to approach him—Erk, who quickly healed him without a word. He has done it before, so there was no fear in him anymore. And I saw Jaffar stir, as if by some chance he recognized Erk, and knew that he has saved his life before.

But we were suddenly interrupted when Wil yelled, "Oh no! The guards are coming!"

"Damn!" Lord Hector said, and he gave out quick orders. "We move out—now!"

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

We were all running hurriedly, dragging ourselves, our weapons, our few supplies, through the maze of corridors of the manse. Lowen and Kent rode first, to alarm the group outside to move out as well, but I trusted that Lord Marcus and Lord Oswin would have the wisdom to move farther from the manse as the sensed that daylight was approaching. The group turned a narrow corner, and unfortunately, I was the last in the line, naturally a weak runner. I took a pause to catch my breath, and then a voice called out.

"Genevieve!"

I turned back. It was the prince of Bern, emerging from a corner, eyes looking around and finally alighting on me. Oh no. He can't talk to me either. He can't insist we stay. I just looked at him, shaking my head a bit, as if to say that, no, there was no time to talk.

The corridor from behind the prince illuminated in orange firelight, and I knew that they were the guards with their torches, searching for the prince. I made one last look at Prince Zephiel and turned a corner, but when I did, I found out something—I was alone. My allies were all gone. Oh no. Where do I go? How do I find out the way out? I don't remember the way! I can't- 

"Your Majesty!" The soldiers called out, I could hear them, talking to the prince. "Are you well? It seemed there were invaders! Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am," Prince Zephiel told them. "More importantly, how is my mother? Have you alerted her?"

"Not yet, sir. We have to find the culprits who did this. Excuse us, sir."

And then I saw their orange lights growing closer, closer, closer. They were going this way!

But then Zephiel said, "Pardon. I think they went the other way. I think I heard a noise from that direction..."

The lights stopped approaching, and then receded, turning to leave the other way. Wheh. That was close.

But when I opened my eyes, Prince Zephiel was there approaching me.

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Genevieve," he breathed out, sounding relieved. And then he looked up to me and said, brightly, "You're Genevieve Regrada, am I right?"

How did he—I've never—"You must be mistaking me for someone else," I said, fidgeting with my skirt. There was nothing to do but confront him now. The rest have escaped already, and they were safe, so it should be much of a bad thing to talk a bit with the prince. But he—he knew me?

"I don't know… but I'm decent with remembering people's faces. You resemble the Lord Regrada to a fair degree, too..."

My face fell. He was Lord Regrada and I was his shadow daughter. It would always be that way.

I wonder if he saw me frown, because he added, "And it's not easy to forget the face of the only girl who studied in the Academy."

"Y-You saw me?" I said, shocked.

He smiled wider. Oh, shoot. I just gave myself away! "Once or twice, I think," he said. "I've never spoken to you, but I heard a lot about you, from all the other students."

Great. He must be hearing the most ridiculous things about me, considering how all my fellow students treated me. "Uhm... I assure you that nothing that you heard about me was true. I wasn't exactly the most popular person in the Academy..."

He only nodded, meaning he understood. "You came out better than they all expected, though. How well you lead the battle, Lady Genevieve. I'm... in awe. Is there anything I can give you for saving my life?"

Hearing _Genevieve _from the very prince's mouth cause my ears to have a weird itch. "I don't go by that name anymore, my lord," I said. "A-And you don't have to repay me, please... the only thing that would make me feel better is if you kept our identity a secret. We never came, my lord. You were rescued by your guards, never by us."

"B-But—"

"That is how you can repay me, Your Majesty," I made it clear to him, "and that is all that I will ask."

He shook his head. "I can't let that be."

"Then please lead me out of the manse without being seen by anyone. I'm sorry, my lord. I have secrets to keep, and I keep them for good reason."

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Kumiko!" Lyn yelled as we met in a clearing a safe distance from the manse. She was relieved. She ran to me and took me in a brief hug. "You're safe! We were just about to send someone after you…"

And then she pulled me back from the hug and looked puzzled. What? "You look… different."

"W-What?"

Lord Hector walked up to us, and was a startled at the sight of me as well, so much that he literally lost a bit of footing. "Kumiko! You look like… human!"

"What?"

Lyn turned to him and rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him. He obviously doesn't know how to make sense."

"Y-You look like a girl!" Lord Hector continued, expression still shocked. I wondered if he were only teasing. Or if there was something seriously wrong with me, like my skirt being upturned. I checked. Nope. Perfectly in place.

"…Haven't I always been a girl?" I asked, puzzled.

Lyn just laughed. "Of course. But I guess what he means is this,"—she put her hand to my face and pinched my cheeks, and then touched the braids of my hair, recently fixed and tied into place by purple velvet ribbons, immaculate in their color, absolutely clean—"Your face. Your hair. Someone cleaned you up well."

"No thanks to me," I said, as I remember the prince frowning at me before he saw me leave, pointing out at my unruly hair and dirty face. He took his pristine handkerchief and cleaned up my face, and then tied my hair in these ribbons. He did it for his sister, so he knew how to tie my hair. It was the least he could do, he said. The prince of Bern was full of surprises.

"I hope we meet again someday," he had said. "Maybe you should work for the country. You're a good tactician."

I had said nothing, because I didn't want to work for the country at all. I just gave him my thanks, and left.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Why do you not kill me?" Jaffar asked Lord Eliwood as we confronted him and Nino—Lord Eliwood, Lyn, Lord Hector, and me.

"If we did that, Nino might die as well," said Lord Eliwood. "You didn't take the prince's life. So we won't take yours. It's that simple."

"So naïve," he said, and his deep monotone voice made the words sound like an insult. "Do you know how many of your friends I've killed?"

I gasped. _How dare he say that!_

I quickly turned to Lord Hector, and I saw the change in the expression in his face—his blank expression turned to outright rage. "You monster!" Lord Hector yelled, a hand reaching out to his axe. "I'll—I'll-‼"

"Hector! Calm yourself!" said Lord Eliwood—a command, with that _Lord _Eliwood tone of is. Lord Hector groaned and tossed his hands in the air and turned his back on us. …He actually listened to Lord Eliwood. I was starting to see Lord Eliwood in a different light now because of that.

Lord Eliwood turned to Jaffar now. "Some sins cannot be forgiven, but now...We need all the help we can get to defeat Nergal."

I saw Jaffar's lips twitch down ever so slightly. It might have been my imagination.

"Jaffar..." Lord Eliwood was asking now, requesting, pleading. "You were planning on throwing your life away, correct? If you've come to regret so many of your past actions, then you can fight with us."

"Regret?" Jaffar said, head snapping up to look at Lord Eliwood. "Such emotions mean nothing..."

Nino pouted and tugged at Jaffar's arm. "Jaffar!" She had the tone of a mother scolding a son.

Jaffar sighed, and then looked down at Nino. She was pouting at him and pleading at him at the same time. And then he sighed again, but it sounded as if he was signing his own death warrant with that sigh. "Alright. If you want me to...I will...do it."

…That was even more surprising than how Lord Eliwood can command Lord Hector. This was Nino, a little girl, so helpless and innocent, getting Jaffar—a cold, ruthless assassin!—to do what she wanted!

Nino beamed and hugged Jaffar, and my mouth was practically left open in shock. I recovered and closed it again. I wondered what Matthew would make of that—the assassin has a soft side? How… How can he…?

Lyn actually found the thing relieving. "That's good isn't it, Nino?" she said with a small laugh.

"Mm!" Nino nodded, excitedly. "Thank you! Thank you!"

It was hard to hate Nino, but… Jaffar…

Lord Hector grunted and groaned, and then flat-out walked out.

"Ah! Hector..." Lord Eliwood nearly turned around to follow Lord Hector, but I held his hand and stopped him.

"Let me deal with him, my lord," I said, keeping my voice low so that Nino and Jaffar wouldn't hear. "I understand what he feels."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"And—And! That ingrate! Eliwood was showing him mercy but he was all, 'Do you have any idea how many of your friends I've killed?' I swear! I wanted to kill him then and there!"

Lord Hector was fuming, angry. Matthew stayed silent and critical, sitting there on the rock, hands intertwined at the fingers, in what seemed like a thinking pose. Or disguise. Maybe he was mad, too. He was angry, too. And his mind was already plotting a hundred reasons on how to end Jaffar. The calm was a façade.

And then the thief's head shot up, out of thinking, surprisingly to look directly at me. "Kumiko," he said. And I knew that he knew I was there.

I walked out of the trees, and Lord Hector turned and found me, surprised. He just stared, maybe wondering how long I've been listening in.

There was silence. I knew it was my turn to fill that in.

"I hate him, too," I said.

Lord Hector looked surprised, and then he gave a sarcastic kind of smirk. "Welcome to the club," he said.

I didn't find that amusing. I kept in mind what I was there for. "But Lord Eliwood would appreciate it if we kept ourselves in check. He… He accepts Jaffar."

"And he's a fool for it!" yelled Lord Hector. "If… If only he weren't my best friend, I'd have… Gah!"

Matt was still silent, still thinking, drumming his fingers against each other. "What do you think, Matt?" I asked him.

He stopped with his fingers, and looked up to me. "You know what my opinion is," he said.

I shook my head, slowly. I didn't know what his exact opinion was. All I had were speculations, all I had were guesses.

And then Matt just flat-out said, "I want him dead."

I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I blinked, I panicked—I didn't know how to deal with that. It was complicated now, it wasn't simple like before. Now I knew Nino, now I liked Nino, and I wasn't excited to see her lose a companion. My opinion of Jaffar hasn't changed, but if Lord Eliwood had mercy on him, had the heart to forgive him…

"I… I don't want any killing within the group in this campaign," I said, softly. No one reacted to it, so I figured they didn't hear. I spoke again. "I don't want anyone backstabbing anyone in this campaign. Did you hear that, Matt? It doesn't… It doesn't look right. We can't just adopt him to kill him."

No response. I sighed, and said, "…That's an order from your tactician."

"And what does that order matter?" Matt snapped. "You're not my lord. Who are you for me to follow?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but my mouth quivered, so I shut it again. I felt like he just stabbed me with those words. I gave one last look at him and Lord Hector, and then I ran away.

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

We rested for a few hours in the safe clearing we found, until Lord Pent and Lady Louise went to the manse along with the lords and I to meet with the queen. I shuddered that I might see the prince again, and that he might point out that he knew me, that we saved them, even if I made him vow to silence. I hoped that he was genuinely asleep, dead tired. We were all dead tired. We fought three battles in a day, and we had no sleep yet...

" My apologies for the wait," one of the attendants told us as he met us at the manse hallways. "The queen will see you now," he said.

"Very well," said Lord Pent.

Lady Louise invited us onward. "Let us proceed," she said.

But we weren't that eager to move yet. We were stuck to the ground, wondering that to say to the most powerful woman on Bern soil. "The queen of Bern..." Lord Hector mused, as if stunned by the thought. I thought he was starstruck or in awe to meet the queen, but then he said, "Even if it is a private audience, courtly niceties aren't my strong suit."

He wasn't starstruck. He was nervous.

Lyn, too. "That's not my part of what I'm good at, either."

And then Lord Hector turned to me. "Why don't you come along, too, Kumi? You're Bernese nobility. You'd know a thing or two of this."

"M-Me?" I said, surprised. Me? Meet the queen? _The _queen? "I-I'm so dirty and sweaty and my hair—"

"Looks surprisingly nice," Lyn said, narrowing her eyes at my brown-blonde hair, neatly separated and braided with two ribbons. "You look better than any of us."

I turned to look at Lord Eliwood, who was probably the only one that had skills in these kind of noble things. But all he said was, "...Let's go."

Those two words had me stunned for two seconds. _Let's go_. This was the nice Lord Eliwood, the kind Lord Eliwood, saying those two words, but they were filled with authority. _That_ was a noble. That was _Lord _Eliwood. That was the tone that made Lyn—_Lady_ Lyn!—and _Lord _Hector—of Ostia, bigger than Pherae!—shut up and follow him and trust him.

And I followed him, too.

o0o0o0o0o0o

I could see the high resemblance of the Prince Zephiel to his mother, the queen Hellene, when I saw her face to face. She could have been an ordinary woman—such an ordinary height and frame—and her beauty was marred by her age—there were lines along her eyes and face—but still she had the regal air of an uncontested noble. That was ironic, since the Queen of Bern was most unsecure, with the king heavily in-love with his mistress.

Like the prince, her hair was blonde—only yellow-blonde—and her eyes were blue and clever. She held her chin up and held her shoulders back—such perfect stance and posture. She was beautiful, aye. But that wasn't the first word to describe her. I've met even more beautiful women, even younger women, like Lady Louise, like... what was her name? That woman in the snow. The queen of Bern was a beautiful woman, but more than that, she seemed to me a woman of pride before anything else.

We all bended and bowed before her, following Lord Eliwood's lead. All she did was nod. We rose, and then she said, "Ah, so you've returned. And were you successful? You recovered the Fire Emblem safely?"

The Fire Emblem. Immediately the Fire Emblem. Doesn't she know that her son was nearly killed? "...Queen Hellene," said Lord Eliwood. "Has no one told you? Last night in the manse..."

"Oh, something about assassins sneaking in, wasn't it? I've no time for such trifles. Quickly, the Emblem," she said, with nonchalance.

It was all about the Emblem. Her son was nothing to her. Lord Eliwood, with a dour expression, just nodded in my direction, and so I dug in my bag, took the Fire Emblem, and handed them to Her Majesty.

Her eyes seemed to light up when the gemstone reached her hands securely. She grinned with satisfaction, as she held the stone to the light. "Ah...Without a doubt, this is the Fire Emblem. Ha ha! With this, my Zephiel holds rightful claim to the succession! Now, it will never pass to that annoying Guinivere..."

"Queen Hellene..." Lord Eliwood called on the woman's attention, softly.

"Oh, yes," she snapped. "I'd forgotten. Your promised reward. The road to the Shrine of Seals, was it not?"

"I have a pressing question to ask of you first. What is His Royal Highness Prince Zephiel to you?"

The question—raised by Lord Eliwood—came as a shock to all of us, most especially Her Highness. He asked it with that ring of authority that Lord Eliwood has when he means serious business. Here you did not have the son of the lord of a small land talking to a _queen_. He spoke as if he were her equal, and by his tone it seemed there was no doubting it.

Lady Hellene was shocked. "I...beg your pardon?"

"His Highness Zephiel is your trueborn son, isn't he?" Lord Eliwood continued. We were all staring at him as if he were out of his mind now, but he still exuded that quiet confidence of an uncontested noble. "Or is he, like the Fire Emblem, nothing more than tool for securing the throne?"

The queen was enraged. "How dare you! Such insolence! To whom do you think you are speaking!"

" This has nothing to do with title," he said. "You are free to possess your desires and aspirations. But your own innocent son...How can you do anything that places His Highness's life at risk?"

"What?" the queen said, rage turning to something that seemed like panic and confusion. "What do you mean? Of what do you speak..."

"Didn't you hear us?" Lyn said, "Assassins nearly killed—"

But Lord Eliwood cut in. "Lyndis. That's enough." And then he turned back to Her Majesty, and swept her an immaculate bow, still bowing as low as he should for a queen, even if he just argued with her "...I beg your leave," he said, and he got up and then turned his back and walked away.

Lord Hector and Lyn and I were puzzled, and we were left to bow out to the queen, none of us doing it as gracefully as Lord Eliwood could, and then we hurried along to Lord Eliwood.

"Wait right there!" We could hear Her Majesty screaming after us. "We are not finished! Someone! Someone stop those insolent children! Someone!"

o0o0o0o0o0o

"Well, that's that, huh?" said Lord Hector dismissively, as we were being led out of the Queen's Chamber, and eventually out of the manse. I gave a small nod, if only to myself. Yeah. That was that.

"...Lord Pent, Lady Louise," said Lord Eliwood, turning to the lord of Reglay and his wife, "I ruined a perfectly good opportunity. I'm terribly sorry."

Lord Pent did not shrug—it was not in his nature. Instead he shook his head, making long silver strands of his hair fly in the air. "You said nothing that I did not agree with. Do not think long on it," he assured Lord Eliwood.

"Lady Hellene has changed," Lady Louise added. "Before she got married, she was a kind woman who wanted to be a good wife and good mother."

"She and the king are ill-matched," said Lord Pent. "She has suffered much. And now, she is obsessed with the succession. An awful marriage can change much. Such a sad life..."

There was a little silence in the air, and then Lyn remarked, " ...His parents are alive. Yet they're both awful. I feel so sorry for him."

_His parents are alive. Yet they're both awful. _I feel sorry for him, too. I had my mom and her husband and Sir Alecto and they're gone, and I feel awful about it. But I also had my blood father, and he was awful, but he was dead-and I can't deny the fact that I wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe it was better to not have parents rather than have awful parents.

"But…" Lord Eliwood began, looking disappointed and cross. With himself. "Even if it was just, I should have left it unsaid. I angered the queen, and in doing so lost the only aid we had in Bern."

Lord Hector shrugged again, and gave an encouraging pat on Lord Eliwood's shoulder. "It's over and done with. No sense in worrying about it now. Let's consider our next course of action."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

**End of Chapter. Long Author's Notes ensues.**

Note: Fresh off the keyboard, and haven't checked some parts yet. If some parts seem stupid, forgive me. It's a bit rushed. Holes shall be patched up next chapter. Reviews please!

Firstly, a birthday greeting for **FireEmblemMewMew**! She also celebrates on February, as I do. XD

I... I'm sorry! *hides from all the KumixErk supporters* Please don't hate me!

...Poor Erk. I just remembered that in almost all his supports, he ends up getting killed. Erk and Nino would lead to Jaffar animosity. Erk and Kumi would lead to Matt animosity. Erk and Priscilla would lead to Raven animosity. And Erk and Serra... well, I think that would be Erk animosity against himself. XD

Thank you for all the reviewers who have put up with me and my late-ness in updates! Especially for those who have been with me four years ago—(this fic is four years old now!) like FireEmblemMewMew, DarkBlaziken, Terran34, and Whitzwolf. I'm sure there are others still around...

Again, everyone is sick of this, thank you Angie for scripting the game for me! You have done what no other person has done! (Seriously, guys, who would play a game over again and type its script word for word for a fanfic that is not even hers?—all my love, Angie.) This chapter would not be here if not for her scripting!

Author's Notes:

**I had fun writing authoritative! Eliwood.** I admit I'm not much of an Eliwood fan, with his sort of passive personality, and I might consider him one of the 'weakest' lords of Fire Emblem, but that applies to his personality, not really his stats... (his stats start out poorly, but he's an awesome Great Lord!) Leads/lords like Ike (FE9) and Ephraim (FE8) have are much more defined and 'strong' personalities as opposed to Eliwood. But writing this chapter exposed me to the real strength of character in Eliwood. I suddenly _understood_ him. When I played the game, I admit him talking back at Queen Hellene had me weirded out—so different from my original idea of Lord Eliwood being a perfectly kind, soft spoken lord, but I guess when I wrote him I began to understand him, also taking cues from all his other lines in the game. I figured there must be something in him that gets even Hector to stay true to him and let him lead. Ah, I can't explain myself well. Long story short: I have learned to appreciate Eliwood, even if for this chapter only. And I admit, he _does _seem to be similar to Kumi's personality: kind and nice and seemingly fragile but absolutely determined when he wants to be. I guess that's why there are some people who love the Kumi-Eliwood interactions.

**Alright, so I hate Harken. **Not really hate, but over him, I am tons more in favor of Legault. I just can't get anything out of Harken's personality. He's all emo obsessed over avenging Elbert. The only good or decent support I can think of that involves Harken is Harken and Vaida. HarkenxVaida WHHHUUUUT. (They DO have an A-support ending.) If there's any Harken lover out there... uhm, feel free to bash me and make yourself felt. :( OHMIGOSH LET'S PUT UP HARKEN WITH VAIDA SO LEGAULT CAN HAVE ISADORA XDDDD

**I admit the meeting-Zephiel-scene may be too... sappy. **That thing about meeting a person and something clicking right inside you, as if he's gonna be part of your life but you don't know how yet... That's how I felt when I first met my boyfriend. I know, I know, sounds mushy. I have truly matured through the course of this fic and now I have a boyfriend (after 18 years of living, is that too soon, or late? XD) so blame him if the update is late! BLAME HIM FOR LATE UPDATE! BLAME! (unfortunately he doesn't really understand this business of writing fanfics or burying your nose in novels... he's not much of a reader.)

**I have no idea what the Fire Emblem is supposed to look like**. I don't recall ever seeing any reference pictures of it in-game, and it's only described as "the ceremonial gemstone of Bern", and in FE6, well, I won't spoil it, but I don't think there really is supposed to be an image. I made it icy blue (for the sake of nice contrast to its name) and with a life of its own and respondent to its holder, as most Fire Emblems (FE8 and FE9-10). Really, the game is called Fire Emblem and FE7 has the most useless use of the item.

**Nino and Jaffar are the stars of this chapter, undoubtedly. **I hope everyone appreciated the Nino and Jaffar POV. And the angsty Hector and Matthew. And Anko and Legault, who also played major roles this chapter. I guess they balance out the emo-ness of everyone else. Still, Sain is the perfect extinguisher of heavy moments, and therefore I should utilize him more, I just don't know how yet, I've never been a good writer of characters like Sain, but I adore him. Hope everyone likes the many POVs showcased in this chapter.

**I've seriously thought about the game timeline. **You go to Bern Keep to investigate, travelling from the border town at start of the day. You fight Vaida. After fighting, you follow them into the snowy parts of Bern. After Kenneth/Jerme there, you go to the manse to save the prince before evening falls. So it means you fought 3 battles in a single day, and calculating how slow travel was back then and the descriptions of Bern's terrain (rocky at best) and that the manse is even farther north than Bern Keep is from the hideoout of Black Fang (as I observed from the map) and that you're such a huge group carrying a lot of supplies... I thought it was impossible to make it to the manse within a day at all, unless there's divine intervention.

**As the official FE guide in Japan says, Jaffar's age is undetermined.** I have a notion he is no longer altogether human, as the morphs, but not quite like them. If you have scans of the guide, it has GENDER, ESTIMATE AGE, PLACE OF ORIGIN, etc. etc. (in Japanese of course) and other information about characters. You can easily find where the age part is because it has numbers. But they only put in estimates. If the number is 20, that means that character is in the twenties, if it's 10, the character is between 10-19. For Jaffar, though, there is no estimate present, just this weird Japanese symbol that I can't translate, which probably means N/A. It's the same as with Nils' and Ninian's. (And note that we know that Ninian and Nils have undeterminable ages. But it's been so long since I studied the scans and my Japanese is not at all reliable.) Which leads me to think Jaffar doesn't age normally, he's not altogether human, or simply he himself doesn't know what his age is. Does anyone have theories about this? (Especially for the Nino-Jaffar fans out there.)

**Am replaying FE7. **I really don't understand what most character guides say about RebeccaWil. Wil has been my more preferred unit, despite how awesome some people claim Rebecca to be. My games just can't get Rebecca's stats right. (Same with my Matthews, all my Matthews are screwed and Legault always ends up way better. Can you believe my Guy maxes speed before Matt does?) And my tactics seem to be quick and reckless at best, so I prefer speedier units with dependable defense like Sain (as a Paladin, he's awesome and my heeero), Heath (I love him. I simply do.) or Farina (she's the sturdiest of the Pegasus sisters, at least that's how my game gets things done) or Raven (very quick, very powerful, very sturdy).

**APOLOGIES TO ALL FOR LATE UPDATE! I'm still determined to finish this fic, though, hope that all of you are still hanging on with me!**

Thanks for everyone who reviewed the last introduction chapter! **Whitzwolf**, I'm glad you've read that chapter in one sitting! No neck pain, huh? XDD **Patattack**, glad you're still hanging on!

I miss my old reviewers, like **Xirysa**. I remembered how she constantly raved about Heath. The Journey wouldn't be what it is if it were not for ALL my reviewers, old and new. They have influenced how this story turns out, one way or the other.

**Terran34**: I'm sorry for the indecisiveness when it comes to Kumi pairings. It's just… well, today it's Zephiel, and you'd think she'd already have someone by now, but… no. I can't decide either. And whatever happens, we all have an idea of how it ends anyways, especially for those who read Queen of Bern. IF I FINISH THE JOURNEY, WE SHALL ALL MOVE ON TO THAT FIC AND THEN I WON'T BE SO INDECISIVE. I promise. And... yeah. Problem **is** understatement. Drowning in problems is **still** understatement. The problem won't leave my mind and even when I'm awake or doing something, it's constantly floating about in my head. It has not only damaged my writing, even my studying, or sane thinking. Poor me. Frankly I don't know what to do anymore... Thank you for staying on for four years! You've been such source of support and criticism rolled in one. XDD Both things a writer needs.

**Darkblaziken**: REJOICE! I AM NOT DOING KUMI/ERK AFTER ALL! Thanks for giving me your support! Your comment is one of the things I always look forward to in writing every chapter of this. ^^ I'm flattered that you say I'm too good at characterization (not really, I think… only I try to minimize characters that I can't write well!) and that I'm the first to fill in gaps in this novelization. ^^; As for that, I've had a lot of influences, too. Before I started writing this fic decently, I had to read a ton of FE fanfics, read a lot of historical fiction… and those things contributed to how I did things in this fic. As for Anko's suspicious descriptions... XDDDD Am playing around with the idea of giving her a pairing or a support character, much especially for Queen of Bern which goes after this. Much how I link Xarin to Matthew. Nothing is pairing final yet, but reading through Anko's descriptions, Legault and Heath are bound to come to mind. XD This is because in Bern, the two become Anko's close allies and stay with her in the guild, so I figured she should 'like' their personalities to an extent if she is to work well with them. And...Let's face it. _The Journey_ is no _The Journey_ without Anko. She's a vital OC here.

-random note of self-realization-dunno-what-to-call-it-whatever-

I made it a point in writing _The Journey_ that Kumiko isn't the only new thing or concept that I introduce. That's why in my recent chapters, I tried to flesh out the world of FE7 as much as possible, describe the settings better, the characters better, introduce cultures, myths, and legends, etc. And that involves creating a fresh roster of OCs for everyone to enjoy. Apart from Kumiko-Anko, Mark, and Xarin are very dear to me. They provide a certain depth to the story and it'd be dull writing for me if they weren't around.

Of course we all know that my first chapters are really something sort of trash compared to my recent ones, but that's how it is. This has also been a Journey for me, and for you too, my readers, I hope. I may get better in writing, and I hope that my skills get to cope up with all our growing imaginations looking for more things to enthrall us. –sniffle-

I hope I can bring more things to the FE world to make it an adventure for us all over again, in the literary sense! –Gah, Nintendo, FireEmblem, IS—HIRE ME AS A WRITER PLEASE! REMAKE FE6! I'LL WORK FOR FREE!-

-end of senseless note, back to shout-outs-

**Naryfiel Lilith**: XD You've been a relief since you started reviewing, and it's always great to know another Zephiel fan! Not a lot of people understand that Zephiel is such a great character and FE7 is instrumental in showing how Zephiel became what he is in FE6—and he IS one of the most (if not the most) complex villain of FE! And I also love Bern—I fell in love with that FE nation when I read the description on it. That is what inspired me to write my FE6 fic, _Bern_.

Zephiel and Kumiko, as I experience from writing Queen of Bern, make for an odd but interesting pair, and quite challenging to write. But what was more difficult was THIS. Writing them together when they were younger, here in The Journey, was far too difficult. I had so many scrap ideas thrown out. I figured Zephiel and Kumiko are pretty much the same personality-wise in this chapter. I like writing about their contrasts and complements in Bern, so therefore the Kumi-Zephiel interaction here took some getting used to and I'm afraid the scene might even seem unnatural.

And Anko is Anko, as I said. She was around the first chapters of this novelization, and she always will be. Much more in Queen of Bern. (Gaaah why do I keep talking about it!)

**NEXTCHAPTER PREVIEW: OMG THE LONG AWAITED MATT-JAFFAR TENSION... **

"Are you numb to other's pain, too? I'm in pain! Everytime I see him, I remember. Everytime—the smallest glimpse of him, the mention of his name, the mention of that… that _girl's _name—I remember. And it hurts. You want me to endure pain for my girlfriend's murderer?"

**AND SHAMELESS PLUG FOR THE REWRITE OF MY FE6 FIC AND SEQUEL OF THIS, BERN. **Behold! Queen of Bern is rewritten (and is now just called "Bern") and I have the prologues and a chapter put up. Please check out the new style/format, this "more mature writing for a more mature Kumi" (as I quote Naryfiel Lilith XD). I decided to post it finally and I plan to update it regularly because I need a break from _The Journey_. In my opinion, _Bern _is very different writing from _The Journey_ and it's a much needed break when I'm in a writer's block. It will probably pace slower than this fic because it's a royal spoiler in many ways (I know) but I've a good amount written and a good length of plot planned out before we get to the actual plot of FE6. If you haven't played FE6, reading _Bern _would be as good as reading a novelization once I get it done. If anyone needs one solid reason to read Bern, it's "Matthew returns". XDD (so I'm using Matt as a marketing tool now?) Please check it out! Besides, it's already a common knowledge among The Journey readers who Kumiko actually ends up with!


	35. Night of Farewells Pt1

CHAPTER 26X |Night of Farewells

Part One

A/N: It has almost been a year since I last updated, so I figured I should put up part of the chapter even if it's incomplete. Just so everyone knows that this fic is not dead. Real life got too busy.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Well, so that's that, huh?" said Lord Hector, trying not to sound disappointed. "Bah. Whatever. Let's just figure out our next course of action.

We were all eyes on Lord Eliwood now, who was silent, and I could have just imagined him to be blaming himself for botching our chance to easily find the Shrine of Seals now. Lord Eliwood was kind and self-suffering—that was how he was. But he will also realize when something is no longer his fault—but then again, it was kind of really his fault this time, right?

"Forget about it, Eliwood," Lyn spoke, to comfort him. "We all think you did the right thing."

Lord Pent and Lady Louise actually nodded, and I did too, to assure Lord Eliwood. While logically I might disagree that Lord Eliwood did the right thing… he had done something no one had the guts to do. He had shoved the selfishness of the Queen to her face. He has told her what really mattered. And, having met Prince Zephiel, I couldn't help but think that maybe—just maybe—with that one interaction, Lord Eliwood has forever changed a young man's life.

"Wait," a cool, female voice called on us before we could all start walking again. "Go no farther."

We all turned around, surprised to see that standing there, in the open manse gardens… the Queen herself!

"Queen Hellene!" Lord Hector exclaimed, quite shocked.

"What are you...Where are your guards?" Lord Eliwood asked, quickly noticing her lack of guards. She was entirely alone, in her red royal robes, a book in her hand. We could not understand what was happening at all.

"Your name...It is Eliwood, yes?" her clever, educated voice had asked Lord Eliwood. He simply nodded. She offered him the book she was holding and said, "Take this book and seal. My reward to you."

Lord Eliwood looked on at her in surprise, at her outstretched arms holding out the book to us. And then, recovering from his shock, Lord Eliwood found protocol and bowed before the queen as he reached out to the book in her hands and took it. "Your Majesty? What are these for?" he asked.

"The book contains the road to the Shrine of Seals," she said. "The seal was a wedding present from Count Reglay of Etruria,"—she gave a glance to Lord Pent, the Count Reglay of Etruria himself, who was now watching the scene with a small smile on his face. The Queen continued. "I was saving it for Zephiel, but...I believe at this time that you need it more. Furthermore, your path will remain clear for the next three days. No matter what happens in that time, Bern's soldiers will not move. …I can make no promises about the king's own troops, though."

We—Lord Eliwood and Lord Hector and Lyn and I—exchanged glances and felt ourselves release a sigh of relief. "Your Highness, you have my heartfelt gratitude," Lord Eliwood said to her. "But, Your Majesty...why all this for us?"

Queen Hellene simply shook her head, as if to say that we have nothing to thank her for. And then she actually smiled at us—and it struck me that she was a beautiful woman if only she smiled more. "I want to thank you, not as a queen, but as a mother. For saving my son, I am forever in your debt."

And then my earlier thoughts had been confirmed. I knew now that Lord Eliwood had forever changed Prince Zephiel's life. For the better.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"_Anko!"_

_Slipping away unseen and unfelt seemed like an easy task in Anko's head, but when you had the prince of Bern pointedly looking for you, it was hard to accomplish. Almost as soon as the assassins that came in the night were gone, Zephiel had quickly decided from Anko. This was, to her, not one thing which she could just vanish from. He had to see if she was well, at the very least._

"_Your Majesty," Anko turned to the young prince's direction, a little annoyed to be caught when she was just about to wing it and leave. She smiled, trying not to look tired. She was tired, she admitted to herself. When she got to her room in town she was going to fall to the bed, into deep sleep, and forget about her plans, if only for temporary. It was a tiring day, and to top it all off, she somehow lost her Spy's Gemstone. She could not remember how, for now, but she knew she would recall after she had some decent sleep._

"_Are you well?" Zephiel asked, who sounded concerned, but for the most part, he did not look like a boy who just survived a grand-scale of attempted assassination of his life. Anko thought there was a light, happy air surrounding the boy, which puzzled her. Something good must have come out of this assassination attempt that has overshadowed how horrible it was._

"_I'm fine," Anko said, a puzzled expression on her face as she spoke, and the prince gave a sigh of relief at her words. "B-But what about you?" she asked him. "You look as happy as a man who had just won some great prize. What happened, Zephiel?"_

_Zephiel smiled, and his smile was bright enough to light up the entire room. "I've talked with mother," he simply said._

"_...And?" Anko asked, waiting for the rest._

"_She is a changed woman. She told me that she wanted us to live together happily... Me and her and father... and even Guinevere! She has never been accepting of Guinevere but now... isn't this a great step forward?"_

_Anko didn't quite think so. "She forgot to include Guinevere's mother," she pointed out._

"_Guinevere's mother is a wonderful woman, though I've never much talked to her," Zephiel said, in such an innocent, nonchalant tone that Anko couldn't help but frown. Zephiel was such an idealist. He always hoped for the best. "I understand why Mother cannot accept her now—because having a mistress is nowhere near acceptable in any nation—but maybe one day, they would be able to settle on an amicable agreement."_

_Anko raised a puzzled brow. "You'd want your mother to accept this woman? To have an agreement with her? You are alright with your father having another woman? You want your mother to be alright with that?"_

_And with that, Zephiel realized that Anko had understood her wrong. His smile faded, too. "No. Of course not. By 'agreement' I meant to say that one day, maybe Guinevere's mother would agree to stay away from my father so long as she was given an estate of her own, a place to settle quietly. And then mother and father can turn back to the way they were when-"_

_Anko shook her head. "Zephiel. You don't honestly think your father will still turn back to your mother? He is a scoundrel through and through. It's not just Guinevere's mother, don't you see? He has had other women, before Guinevere's mother. He had always turned back to your mother after he was tired of all of them, but then he meets another gorgeous young thing and then leaves your mother again. If he ever returns to her, it's not because he wants to—it's because he got sick of his pretty young thing. Not long will pass and he will find another one, and another one..."_

_Zephiel shook her head, looking as if he were fighting tears as he did. "People change," he told Anko. "Maybe my father is yet to change for the better. Maybe one day, he'll see... one day..."_

_Anko felt guilty, drawing Zephiel out of his happy mood and into this gloominess. It was not her fault—she couldn't help it. How Zephiel always wanted Desmond's approval was beyond her; how he couldn't see that his own father was a monster not worthy of getting approval of was stupid. Zephiel was smart, how could he not see this? Despite everything, he still wanted an ideal, happy world. Something that didn't exist._

"_And after all," Zephiel said, "when you're tired of everything else, you go back to your wife, don't you? One day father will tire of this permanently. One day he'll realize."_

_Being someone's wife didn't protect you, Anko thought to herself, and she almost said it, but she thought against it, already hearing enough pain in Zephiel's voice. Being married to someone didn't protect you, it certainly didn't protect you as you aged and looked older and your man sees someone younger, prettier. It didn't mean he would not run off with another woman out of nowhere. All it meant, all the protection it gave you was money—that you, under law, have a right to your husband's wealth. But it did not assure his affection. It assured nothing. And Queen Hellene was a proud woman. How long will she be able to endure being stepped on by her own husband? How long?_

_Anko sighed. There was no point continuing this conversation with Zephiel when they were both drawn out from a long night. "I imagine you will be an amazing husband, Zephiel, when the time comes. Lucky is the woman you'd marry," she said, choosing flattery to lighten the discussion._

_And with that, Zephiel's face lit up again as he laughed. And then he told her, "I just met a most beautiful girl. I hope to see her again, and when I become better friends with her, I will introduce her to you, Anko. I think you will like her."_

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"So the book is a map," said Lord Hector, as he flipped through the pages of the book that Queen Hellene gave us—and rather rashly did he, and I feared what an ordinary book might suffer through Lord Hector's hands—"but what's this..._seal_?"

He raised up the item—the Heaven Seal—to the skies. It looked only like a brooch carved from white porcelain or marble or some such—some ornament, like the medals and crests the Knights wear.

"That is a Heaven Seal..." Lord Eliwood said, to explain it to us, and beside him Lord Pent gave an agreeing nod. "I hear there are only a few in the world. They are only given to nobles of great skill and potential. To receive something so valuable..."

"I was going to gift it to Prince Zephiel," said Lord Pent, "but I am just as glad the Queen decided to give it to you instead, Eliwood. You much need it more than the prince does, with the current battles we are facing."

"It's just a… thing," Lord Hector said, as he studied the Heaven's Seal in his hands and stared at it so hard he could have melted it with his stare. I think he's having too much of magical stones and brooches and items lately. "What in the world does it do?"

"There is a legend to describe it and to explain its powers…" Lord Pent began, but then he gave a dismissive shrug. "Well, to make the story short, it supposedly grants its blessing and strength to only those of noble blood who are worthy. I am sure any of the three of you are worthy enough—maybe then you will see what it does."

"I definitely don't feel anything," said Lord Hector.

"It probably sees your true colors, Hector, and deems you unworthy," Lyn teased him with a grin, as she elbowed him lightly.

"Bah!" he said. "These odd artifacts. I'm glad enough the Fire Emblem is gone from our hands!"

We laughed a little at Lord Hector's words, and he grunted about it, but then he said, "…I'm glad she listened to you, Eliwood."

Lord Eliwood shook his head slightly. "It is not only me, Hector. She listened to us—all of us."

"I guess…" Lord Hector said, skeptical to accept that. I think he didn't want to accept that merit-because we knew it was Lord Eliwood who caused this. He was the one strong enough to do what none of us could.

"We need some rest," said Lord Eliwood. "After that, let's make for the Shrine of Seals. Once we make it there, something's bound to happen!"

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

We got back to camp, and I silently headed back to my tent—having to ask Wil where my tent was and all that. "Oh, you're free to take which one you please, though of course there's your usual tent," he replied, with his usual smile. He seemed good enough to me and it seems like he's had a nap when we were gone—or it was just Wil being Wil, amiable as usual. "Though I heard Kent is about to get a good talk to Lady Lyn about keeping order in the camp—girls sleeping with girls only and boys with boys."

I managed to look at Wil, surprised. "What brought _that_ on? Surely no one's been caught of any... misconduct?"

"At least not yet!" Wil said, with a laugh. "Senior Rave's been acting rough and has apparently threatened Priscilla's 'rumored fans' in a moment of… well, I think he was just tired and lost it. He's saying things like Priscilla spending too much time with Guy or Heath or something like that."

"That's odd," I remarked. "Of course she'll spend time with Guy—Guy is in recovery and still needs some healing, and you can't help it if Hyperion favors Priscilla as a healer. Are they even together?"

"I guess Kent's point is about, you know, how it's better to avoid too much friendship with the opposite gender, since this is war and all."

I stood there for a while, silent, and then I just went on in my way. For the tent and bedding issues, I frequently shared my sleeping space with guys now—mostly Matt or Legault, but no one could possibly think of that as bad. They can't get people like Nils and Ninian, or Lord Pent and Lady Louise, to separate, either. And falling in-love with a comrade?

I settled into my tent—I found that they'd given me one of m own, all my stuff already settled in. It seems I wasn't sharing and it seems somewhere along the way, Merlinus was able to purchase more tents. I lay down thinking about two things—first, getting a bath, and second, what Wil told me.

Did having those sort of feelings really complicate everything? Especially in war? Well, I've seen a little of how it worked… Legault may have developed feelings for Isadora, but even with her fiancée, Harken, joining us, he didn't let it get in his way. I doubt anyone else would be able to take it as gracefully as Legault, though. I remembered how Erk was—and is probably still—upset with me. I don't know if I have to apologize to him or avoid him for the meantime. He probably wouldn't let it get to him much, as so should I, but… it was just… awkward. It… would have been better if none of it happened… But I'm sure It'll be better in no time. I'm sure…

Anyway, I doubt the rule would get past Lord Eliwood. He _adores_ Ninian. He wouldn't think love was a hindrance, would he?

"He—llo there, lady tactician," I turn around and see there, by the tent opening, Legault, pushing the tent flap aside to enter. "You've got a spacey tent here. Mind if I drop in?"

I paused for a while, thinking of the edict Kent and Fiora were trying to push. If I stay around with Legault all the time, or any guy, for the matter, does it already translate as something else to other members of the group? I wonder…

"I am standing here waiting for admission, just so you know," Legault said.

"Oh!" I snapped from my thoughts, and told him, "Come in!"

Legault stepped inside and then sat down at the tent matting, looking at me skeptically all the while, that look he has when he's trying to figure out what you're thinking. But I beat him at questions, and asked first. "What is it, Legault? Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually, yes," he said. "I was planning on grabbing a drink and enjoying myself during this rare time of leisure that we are entitled to. Unfortunately, my favorite buddy, Guy, is not too well, so I thought I'd ask you instead."

I blinked, not believing his words. "Legault? Why in the world would you ask _me_? You've got to be kidding."

"Actually, I'm not," he said, and to my surprise he pulled out something from the satchel hanging by his side—a wine bottle. And then he pulled out two drinking cups. "I have come prepared. And don't go on saying that you don't drink—I have bothered to pick up sweet wine, your favorite, _Lady Genevieve._"

I just stared at him, already sitting there and pouring wine into the cups. This is ridiculous—drinking? In broad daylight? And if it really was sweet wine, where did he—"You did _not_," I said, when a realization hit me.

He understood what I meant. "The whole dirty kitchen was ripe for the taking so I thought I'd take a little something. A little token for saving the prince's life, what do you say?" Legault gave a little wink, and handed me the cup.

"Oh, Legault," I told him as I took the wine from him, and decided to sip on it a little—I was not going to get drunk, but I thought I'd humor Legault a little. …Mmm. It was sweet wine indeed, made from berries, tasting more like sweet juice that was a little tart rather than some deadly beverage that could get you heavily drunk.

"…Is there something bothering you?" I decided to ask Legault, after a silence of sipping drinks, because ever since the whole affair with Lady Isadora had started, he ended up in this habit of drinking. But of course, that whole episode with Lady Isadora must not have ended for him yet—yesterday morning, Isadora only had a long-lost fiancée. And then a few hours later, the long lost fiancée had magically turned up and joined our group. So much has happened in one day. We went from the capital, to Regrada, and to the Queen's Manse. So much has happened. It was just father's burial in the morning, and then hours later we came to save the prince of Bern.

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Legault replied. "Just a little tired. I wanted to unwind a bit. So much has happened, hasn't it? I see little Nino and Jaffar are now travelling with us, too."

Of course. Legault was also Black Fang, like Nino and Jaffar, how could I forget? It hasn't been a month since Legault joined us, but he somehow already felt like family. The group's initial hostility towards him has faded. He was, in his own ways, a welcome and useful part of our group.

But Nino, and Jaffar? They're going to face that hostility, now, too. Most especially Jaffar… I doubt anyone could harbor bad feelings towards Nino, though. She simply looked too adorable and incapable of hurting anyone.

"It's a phase," Legault remarked, as if to his cup of wine. "If I got through it, they'll get through it, too. And who knows. They might make friends here, too."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Kumiko!" a voice suddenly came from my tent entrance, and Legault and I turned around and found Heath, minus his armor, panting as if he just ran a great distance. He then lift his head to look at us—and then briefly raised a brow at the absurdity of me and Legault, seeming to be trying to get drunk in the middle of daylight. In my defense, I wasn't getting drunk. I stopped at my third cup.

"Well, if it isn't _handsome_," Legault regarded the wyvern knight, as he poured on some more wine for himself. "Care to join in? Two's company, but a threesome's just awesome."

Heath knotted his brows for a moment and looked incredulously at Legault. "What's the matter, Heath?" I asked the wyvern knight, ignoring Legault—something must have happened for him to run to here, Heath was hardly the type who just arrives to chat. "Is there a problem?"

"There is, and I swear, I am absolutely sorry I didn't bring this up sooner, I just realized now…" And then he dug into the pocket of his trousers and came out with the Fire Emblem.

I felt my jaw drop open at the impossibility of what I saw—I _saw_ the Fire Emblem given to Queen Hellene, I _held it myself_ before we gave it to her. Heath was tasked with the safekeeping of the stone while we weren't about to meet the Queen yet, but he had given the stone to me, and I had given it to the Queen. Did we dream up the entire thing about handing the Fire Emblem to Her Majesty?

"I can explain," Heath said, as Legault crept closer to me and put a hand to my face to close my open, hanging mouth shut. "I… In the middle of battle, I ran into your friend Anko, and she hands me this stone that looks exactly like the Fire Emblem but I was panicking that time, I just held onto it and dropped it onto my pack and ran off with it…"

"Meaning you ended up with two stones that look exactly the same," Legault finished, getting ahead. Heath nodded.

I just blinked, and then held a hand up to my head which suddenly felt like it was throbbing mad. "T-Then what in the world did we give the Queen? Which is the Emblem and which is Anko's—and what in the world was Anko doing in the Manse?"

"Spying and snooping around, no doubt," said Legault, and then he called over Heath. "Come over here, handsome, let me see that stone."

I swear I think I heard Heath mutter, "Stop calling me that", but it could have been my imagination. Heath walked into my open tent and handed the gemstone to Legault, and the three of us, the three Bernese in the entire camp, huddled together and looked at the stone.

Legault examined the stone closely as if he were a jeweler, holding it up to the light. "Funny," he said. "It _feels_ exactly like how the Fire Emblem felt in my hand—a trace of a little warmth. A presence lingers."

I took the stone from him, and was surprised to find that he was right—the stone, like the Emblem, was like a living thing with a faint little heartbeat. "Oh no," I said, feeling like the entire world was brought down upon me. "We gave her the wrong stone."

"You can't say for sure," Legault piped in. "What if Anko just had a similar looking-stone with a presence of its own, and also happened to favor those with Bernese blood? What if we can't tell those two apart?" And then he turned to Heath. "You can't tell them apart, handsome? Didn't feel anything odd when you held this stone and that?"

"I didn't… I really don't…" And Heath looked at loss for words, looking embarrassed. "I can't tell, I really didn't pay attention…" Of course. Heath could very well observe and point out changes in the pattern of attack in the military of Bern, or look at people and guess who was in-love with who, but, a stone? I didn't think so. He didn't particularly care for magic or artifacts or treasure, that was Legault's area.

"We have to give this back," I told both of them, determinedly. "We have to send this back. I'll tell Lord Eliwood."

"Or..." Legault said, "we could keep it and sell it. I bet it would fetch a pretty sum."

I gasped at the suggestion. "How could we? What if the Queen realizes that we gave her a wrong stone? It may be an accident, but may think that we tried to trick her, and then it could escalate to war!"

"They're all Bernese in the Keep, I bet. No one would notice if it was the real thing if someone who wasn't from Bern isn't there to touch it—and I hear it's only kept as a treasure, not even touched unless there was a ceremony. We could sell this and fund our entire campaign," Legault said.

"Legault!" I shrieked, horrified at his suggestion. "If this were _the _Emblem—I would shudder to think that I would sell it for a few thousand gold."

The thief shrugged. "That's what treasures are for, aye? I doubt the stone has some actual use, anyway."

I pouted, and was about to say some response, some argument, until Heath cut in and simply said, "We can determine if it's the Emblem if it reacts to a non-Bernese, right? We can easily figure what to do from there. And if it isn't the Emblem... doesn't this belong to your friend?"

Legault and I both fell silent and blinked, as if we had just both forgotten the fact that the look-alike stone would have been from Anko. Anko never likes it when she loses her things. I've seen her turn the Guild upside-down, when she was younger, in search of things that she loses or misplaces. A thief simply didn't _lose _things—it was, as Anko would say, _disgraceful_. If ever Anko someone borrowed from Anko, or touched her stuff, she remembered _exactly_ who and when and how. No doubt she would be in some sort of organized hunt for her gemstone (and Heath) soon.

"I suddenly don't want to have anything to do with the stone," Legault said, making me laugh a little. "It's up to you, Lady Tactician, on what we do with this thing. So, can we get back to our drinks now?"

0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0ooo0

Eventually I decided to hold on for the stone for a while, letting it sit beside me as I lay down on my bedroll in my tent, reading a little before I hopefully drifted into deep sleep, even if the sun was up and high already. I felt like I haven't slept in three days, and not just a day. Three battles! I wouldn't be looking for one more soon until I have decent sleep. Even Lord Marcus and Lord Oswin thought of the sense of this—what fight would we be able to give when we're sleepy? The ones who've battled the most were probably snoring already.

Legault had already left more than a while ago, and the little bit of wine he made me drink was just right to make me lightheaded and sleepy. The book I was reading—an old, antiquated book about the art of warring and strategy, which I can't exactly remember where I got from—was complicated enough to make every word I read mean nothing. I understood nothing, my mind starting to get tired, until I finally lay down on my bedroll and shut the book close.

I haven't been lying down for more than a minute, I think, when the tent flaps opened and light crept in. I opened my eyes and found Nino's face there, looking a bit sheepish. "Am I interrupting?" she asked.

Well, yes. "Not... really," I said, to be nice. "Is anything wrong, Nino?" I told her, my voice thick with sleepiness.

"Are you sharing with someone in this tent? One of the men tells me I can't share with Jaffar," she told me. I pulled myself up to a sitting position and allowed myself to look puzzled for a while, feeling my sleepiness suddenly vanish by this new, puzzling thought—who in the world told her that? Hmm, yeah, maybe someone who was getting news about Kent and Fiora's rules of morality around camp. But in a way, they were right. Tighter discipline had to be exercised in our group. We've gotten so absurdly large and everyone almost seems to just join on a whim, or in odd ways. Like Nino and Jaffar, recruits from the enemy. Like Legault and Heath. We weren't a formal military at all, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't lay down some rules. Goodness, we were fighting with holy people like Serra and Lucius! You'd think someone would want to lay down the laws of morality sooner. Apparently Kent had just realized it now.

An image of Jaffar attempting to do _something_ of indecent nature to Nino crossed my mind, and I shuddered. I should not have thought of that! Argh, the things a sleepy mind can thing of! I think I visibly shook my head. That was one fierce reason why Kent might be right. All the grown men and women of camp can do what they want, but they should keep it out of camp, for the sake some of just who are just out of childhood and would rather not have exposure to those… things.

"Excuse me?" Nino asked, and I stirred, realizing that I'd been quiet for too long.

"I'm sorry, I was distracted," I told her. "Yes, you can share with me. It's no problem, Nino! Come in."

She smiled widely, and stepped into my tent. As the tactician, I was privileged to a bigger tent, so sharing with one more person isn't much of a problem. I stifled a yawn, but as she crept into my tent I could feel my sleepiness vanishing little by little. She sat down across me, sitting by the little table that I had, and took off her blue boots. She almost seemed uneasy, but she smiled all the while as she moved. "So what should I do?" she asked. "Can you tell me what goes on here? I've never in another group except for… Black Fang. I don't know the rules."

Rules? That was exactly what I've been thinking about a few hours ago. "We don't really have rules," I told Nino, and I knew I had an incredulous expression as I told her that—because I myself was surprised by it. "Everyone really just does what he or she wants. Anyone can also leave whenever they want if they feel the battles are getting to be a little too much for them or if they feel they can't fight anymore."

"That's it?" Nino asked, looking surprised. "You don't… you don't take vows to be loyal to your leaders or something? No contracts?"

"Well, swear if you want to," I told her, reminded of my own promise to Lord Hector, too, ages ago it seemed. "But it's not a necessity."

"How do you—I mean, it's great the group doesn't fall apart."

I gave a little laugh, and I knew she had a point—it was a miracle this group didn't fall apart. We were such a random bunch filled with random people—knights like Lord Oswin with loyalty to their lieges that fight because of that, people who fight for their personal training like Guy, down to people who joined for the heck of it like Geitz. But everyone kept themselves in check. It was easy to imagine such a group like this wouldn't survive, with too many kinds of people in them with different personal goals. "I imagine the Black Fang is more organized than us," I told Nino.

She didn't respond to that yet. She just continued to look at me with that adorable little smile of hers and asked, "So, what kind of man is Eli—I'm sorry, Lord Eliwood? He leads you, right?"

Ah, how do you even begin to describe Lord Eliwood? "He's a genuine man. People might tend to judge him because he's a young, Lycian lordling after all, but he's absolutely real. Kind and gentle… slow to anger and quick to praise… somehow soft at times, even. But when he's determined something is right, he fights for it. He cares for everyone underneath him and he listens to everyone's concerns and helps us all get by."

Nino suddenly looked as if she were teary eyed. "Then this place is just like Fang, too," she said. "Father—Brendan Reed—was a genuine man, too. I know he looks big and scary but he tries his best to listen to everyone and yet at the same time he's also determined that when something is wrong and unjust, it _is_ wrong and unjust. Fang is made up of a bunch of misfits. But we all stay together because our leader keeps us together and we all respect him."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

**End of Part One. Sorry.**

There's more written down, but I cut them off because the scenes in between these and that aren't fully done yet. So, sorry if it's short. I was hoping that posting a little would get feedback from readers, which in turn will inspire me, because I'm sort of stumped of how to continue the rest of the chapter.

I know it's incomplete and it's cut too short for everyone's tastes, but I have real life issues. I started this fic ages ago, when I was fifteen. And now I'm turning twenty next February and the ability for me to update this fic as I age decreases. Real life is too busy. Five years ago I couldn't be bothered from my writing and thought about it all the time but now, I have big-girl issues like all of us. Finding a job, finishing certain internships, moving on from painful stuff, and sniffing out opportunities for me.

I admit _The Journey _is very difficult to update. Most of the time, I still get sad spells over my traumatic break-up with le ex (yeah, if anyone knew really what happened, I swear it's so traumatic) and that mood just isn't what gets me to write a somewhat fun adventure like this fic. For me, _The Journey _is all about self-discovery and growing up. And of course, saving the world from Nergal, but that aside, I felt that I've _already_ grown up and I can't relate with the Kumi that I'm writing in this fic anymore. There's a part of me that can't write for an optimistic and determined girl like Kumiko when I'm anything but that right now. I can write more often for _Bern_ because I find it's a tale with mature issues that I can relate to now.

With that being said it's 2AM and pretty soon I'm going to stop making sense. So I'll stop here. Pardon plotholes and errors for now, this isn't fully checked.

All my love,

kageshoujo/Aki

Please review to indicate if you're still alive and reading. :3


End file.
